Potions Protege
by SecretSongbird
Summary: What happens when American teenage attitude runs into a British brick wall in the form of one Professor Severus Snape? CP in later chapters.
1. Author's Notes

Author's Notes for _Potions Protégé_

Rather than try and do this in the first chapter or a prologue, I chose this section to give the background to this story as well as try and explain some of my thoughts. I never agreed with the ending to _Deathly Hallows_ and felt that J.K. Rowling did Severus Snape a disservice in not allowing him to survive. Given his contributions and sacrifices, and even his somewhat dour wit, I felt he should have been allowed to finally live a happy life, free from his past. I realize, however, that when things are being written, the character often "speaks" to the author asking for a certain path to be taken. It is this ability to "hear" the characters that makes a good writer. :)

This story takes place 7 years after the fall of Voldemort and I took a little artistic license in unofficially modifying some of the events recorded in _Half-Blood Prince _and _Deathly Hallows._ At the moment, I do not intend to use any direct lines from the books written by J.K. Rowling, however, if that information is used, it will be duly noted and appropriate credit will be indicated. The standard disclaimers and any warnings about content will be given at the head of each chapter. Some of the event modifications:

1. Severus Snape did not in fact kill Albus Dumbledore. A completely healthy and unscathed Dumbledore was in a highly secret and safe location, directing the work of the Order of the Phoenix from behind the scenes; Dumbledore's magical double was the one who "died" that night. While Snape and the Order knew of the double, Harry was not aware so to him, and the rest of the magical community, Dumbledore was in fact gone. The Order had been sworn to secrecy until such a time as Voldemort was defeated and until that time, Dumbledore remained in hiding. Dumbledore returned to his position as headmaster of Hogwarts.

2. Snape was still attacked by Nagini that final night, however, having planned for the possibility, her bite was not fatal. Once Voldermort was defeated and Dumbledore was able to make his presence known, Snape was cleared of all charges related to his involvement in the war, given the appropriate awards and recognition for his unerring loyalty and sacrifices, and was offered, and gladly accepted, his restoration to the teaching staff at Hogwarts as the Potions Master/Professor and head of Slytherin house.

3. Snape and Harry "had it out" when the truth behind Snape's involvement with Lily Potter was revealed completely. While Harry and Snape had come to an early truce based on that information, eventually that truce turned to friendship. As the years passed, the friendship grew to the point that now, Harry and Snape, while living separate lives, have a deep friendship and respect for each other.

4. Harry and Ron went on to become aurors. Due to some political unrest within the ministry and the auror department, however, and based upon Harry's experience and dedication, he was elevated to the head of the auror department within 5 short years. Following the lead taken by J.K. Rowling in _Deathly Hallows_, the pairings of Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione, remain intact with references to their family structure also following along published story lines.

While the characters and events are still evolving, I hope to entertain you and look forward to where these characters may lead. This story has been burning for a long time and finally, I have given in to the voices of the characters to get it on paper....so to speak.

And now........_Potions Protégé_ begins.

Secret Songbird


	2. The Letter

Chapter 1: The Letter

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

Professor Severus Snape, potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, was in the great hall, rushing through his breakfast. To his disgust, he had managed to oversleep and the start of his first class of the morning was only 10 minutes away. Just as he was standing up, ready to exit the great hall and head to his classroom, a tawny owl landed on the table in front of him, holding out her leg and looking at him expectantly. Growling low in his throat at the additional delay, Severus gently untied the letter and gave the owl a piece of his leftover bacon. The owl accepted the bacon and Severus' gentle stroking with a hoot of thanks, before flying off back to the owlery for a rest. Even as he stuffed the unopened letter into the pocket of his robes, Severus turned on his heel and made his way quickly out of the great hall.

Later that same afternoon, a very tired and aggravated Professor Snape made his way into his private quarters. What a day. Three melted cauldrons, dozens of nicks and cuts to little fingers from the sharp knives used to cut up potions ingredients, and a fight between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor that had resulted in an entire table of cauldrons to be knocked over, adding to the mess in the potions lab, were directly responsible for the raging headache that was making his temples throb. Shrugging out of his outer professor's robe, he heard a rustling and remembered the unread letter. Removing the letter, he hung his robe up neatly, grabbed a vial of headache remedy and tossing it back, closed his eyes in blissful relief as the headache began to fade.

He poured himself a small amount of his favorite red wine and taking the glass and the lettter, he moved over to his comfortable armchair. After taking a sip of the wine, he set the glass down on a small table at the side of the chair and taking a seat, he turned his attention to the letter. He smiled as he instantly recognized the neat handwriting on the envelope and turning it over, his suspicions were verified when he saw the seal from his former university in Germany where he had gained his potions mastery. As per the rules at the university, he had been apprenticed to Master Stephanos Troyan and Severus knew that his old potions master was now in fact headmaster of the university. Opening the envelope and taking out the parchment within, he opened the letter and read:

_8 September 2005_

_My dear Severus,_

_My best wishes that this letter finds you well and settling in to the new school term at Hogwarts. As a reminder, be patient with the Gryffindors and quit terrorizing your first year students._

Severus chuckled; his old master knew him well. He read on;

_As you know, the school term at the university began three weeks ago. A situation has arisen which I fear directly involves you and with which you may be able to help. The full problem is too complicated to explain in a letter, and therefore, I need to speak with you in person. I will be attending a meeting in Hogsmeade on the 12th and would like to call on you sometime over the weekend at a time that is convenient to you. If you will be free and willing to meet, please send your response by return owl. I look forward to seeing you._

_All my best_

_Master Troyan_

Severus smiled again as he took another sip from his wine. There were few who had ever gained Severus' respect and his old potions master was one of them. He was very pleased that Master Troyan would be coming and regretting that he had not read and responded to the letter earlier, he replied:

_8 September 2005_

_Master,_

_You wound me with your reminder. I would never frighten the little brats and you know how much I SO enjoy having a classroom full of Slytherins and Gryffindors. I swear Dumbledore puts them together in the same class just to drive me mad. _

_I would be most pleased to assist you in any way possible. I will need to remain at Hogwarts but am otherwise able to meet with you at anytime over the weekend. You may floo directly to my private quarters via the floo at the Three Broomsticks pub; I will change the password to that of your favorite potions ingredient. I look forward to seeing you and wish you well in your travels._

_My deepest respect_

_Severus_

Glancing at the time, Severus realized he had just enough time to post the letter and get to the great hall for dinner. Knowing that immediately after dinner he had to supervise the first of the five detentions he had awarded to the Gryffindor and Slytherin combatants, he once again donned his professor's robe, finished his wine and left his quarters, heading to the owlery. Summoning down the same tawny that had delivered Master Troyan's letter that morning, Severus handed the owl an owl treat as he tied the letter to the owl's extended leg. Allowing the tawny to hop up on his arm, he gently stroked the owl's chest as he walked towards the open window. Wishing her a safe flight, the owl took off and he watched as she disappeared into the early evening sky.

He turned his attention to dinner and smiled at the tortures he had planned for the two miscreants that evening. Cleaning the entire potions lab with toothbrushes was going to be the least of their worries.......


	3. Master Troyan's Request

Chapter 2: Master Troyan's Request

_Disclaimers: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am not receiving any monetary recompense for this story._

_As has been written many times before, the proper address for a potions master is Master and the surname. In our written history, an apprentice generally referred to their master as simply Master or with the Master's surname added. Either way was generally accepted, though not adding the surname after the title was seen as slightly less formal. I have adopted the less formal title for Severus' reference to Master Troyan due to the fact the Master/apprentice relationship technically no longer exists. While Severus could easily get away with calling Troyan by his first name, it is only respectful that he continue to refer to him as Master._

_*********************************************************************_

Severus was once again attempting to translate his students' essays. He glanced at the clock and grimaced; stunned to see that he had been at the essays for over three hours. Why these students couldn't learn to write properly was beyond him. The low marks and constant re-writes didn't seem to phase the students at all and he was half tempted to just fail everyone and save himself the constant eye strain and aggravation. It wasn't just the poor penmanship but also the quality of writing. Severus was strict about spelling and grammar and knew full well students had access to all sorts of writing references, not only in the library, but also within their houses.

As he slashed through yet another complete essay in his signature red ink and marked the paper with a large "T", his floo flared to life. He glanced up to see his old potions master stepping gracefully out of the flames and onto the rug that sat in front of the fireplace.

"Master," he exclaimed, "welcome."

Standing up, he made his way over to the older wizard, giving him a quick embrace before stepping back.

"Severus you old reprobate," Troyan murmured as he returned the embrace, "you look well apprentice."

Severus took a moment to look over the potions master. At 6'4, he and Troyan now matched in height, a far cry from his days of apprenticeship. While tall for his age when he was apprenticed, Master Troyan had still towered over him and was not afraid to use that height to intimidate his sometimes unruly apprentice into compliance. Master Troyan would be 65 now, Severus calculated, and he still looked every bit the distinguished Greek. Tall, with dark brown eyes, his neatly clubbed back, raven black hair showing signs of gray, the older wizard regarded his former apprentice's appraisal with amusement.

"I may be a bit older Severus but I can still handle you," Troyan teased.

Severus flushed slightly then smiled.

"The years have been kind to you Master. Please, have a seat. " Severus gestured to the armchair. "I have taken the liberty of having the house elves prepare tea in preparation for your arrival. We still have a few hours before dinner. How was your meeting?"

"You know these meetings Severus." Troyan chuckled.

"You get a bunch of old headmasters together to discuss the latest issues in the universities and we end up reminiscing about the old days when students were more respectful and less of a problem. It is only after three days of sharing horror stories about the latest student episodes, all of us trying to outdo each other, that we get down to business in the last few hours and then have to rush to get the agenda handled. I did have to bring up one important issue as a decision had to be made amongst all the heads. This issue is also the one I wrote you about and the one we must discuss. Depending on the outcome, we may need to get Albus involved as well."

While Troyan had been speaking, the tea tray arrived and Severus, remembering his old master's preferences, prepared the hot beverage and handed it to the older wizard. He placed the tray of small finger sandwiches well within Troyan's reach and taking his own cup, leaned back on the couch.

"This sounds serious. I can't recall any problems I have dealt with recently that would involve me in the university." Severus stated.

"You may have already answered one of my questions then," Troyan stated.

"Take a look at this file."

Severus leaned over and took the proffered file. He recognized it as a student file from the university and taking a look at the edge, noted the name Sienna Marks.

Opening the file, Severus noted that this student had just started at the university under the potions mastery program. Glancing through at the entrance exam results and early marks, he noted that while low marks existed for Charms and Transfiguration, her entrance exam score in both Potions and Herbology were even higher than his own had been. He raised his eyebrow in the typical Snape gesture and looked up at Troyan.

Correctly interpreting Severus' expression, Troyan said:

"As you can see, her potions potential is quite high. If those marks were to be maintained, and if she were to run through the potions program as quickly and easily as you did, she would be the youngest potions mistress in history, exceeding even your accomplishment. Like you, she has an innate ability to not only memorize potions, but also to modify and create potions that improve upon or even outdo potions currently in use. Even in just the past four weeks of classes, she has already exceeded the apprentice first level expectations."

"So what's the problem?" Severus asked.

"Take a look at the next section, at the entrance application and related documents."

Furrowing his forehead a bit, Severus looked down at the application that every student was required to submit. Besides the basic information, each application had to be accompanied by a detailed education history and at least three references from other masters within the same discipline the student wished to pursue. When he read through the reference letters, he found references from the American Director of Magic, Master Sean Michaels, a man Severus absolutely despised, another from a potions master he remembered meeting once but only vaguely remembered, but the last reference letter caused him to stop. Taking the letter out of the folder, he held it up as he looked back at Troyan.

"Master, how is it a reference letter from me is in this student's folder? I don't know this student and I would certainly remember writing a reference to my own university."

"Now you see the problem Severus. Normally, the applications board handles the applications, does the groundwork and accepts or denies the applications. Due to the number of applications we receive each year, only a percentage of the references are actually checked and verified. Normally, once accepted, a student's application and associated documents are left in the file but are rarely referenced again. In Ms Marks' case, she was admitted to the university hospital with an illness a few days before I wrote to you. I went into her file to determine who to notify of her illness when I spotted the reference letter bearing your name. In going through the rest of the letters, I saw the one from the American director, and the other from Master Marconi. Now, conveniently, Master Marconi was killed in a fire back in June. I contacted the American Director, Master Michaels, I know you remember him" Troyan smirked "and he told me he didn't know Ms Marks and had never written her a reference. He also told me that the Marks' family, a muggle family, had also died in a fire at their home and it was known that the elder daughter, Sienna, aged 17, had been confirmed as one of the victims. The whereabouts of the youngest daughter, Katherine, aged 14, is as yet unknown."

Master Troyan waited for Severus to catch on and almost laughed when Severus finally came to the same conclusion.

"Are you telling me that the student named in this file, the one currently in attendance at the university, is NOT Sienna Marks, but Katherine Marks? Have you confronted her yet?"

"You always were quick apprentice and I am so glad you have not disappointed me" Troyan praised.

"In answer, obviously here are some serious discrepancies in Ms Marks' file. She was still under the influence of sleeping potions when I left so I have not as yet been able to question her. I also wanted to verify the discrepancies before confronting her; there could be a simple explanation. The fact, however, that your reference letter was obviously forged, makes me think that yes, the student we thought was Sienna Marks, is in fact, Katherine Marks."

Severus sat stunned. To be able to pull off such a stunt as actually getting into the university on entirely false pretences would take incredible cunning and planning, not to mention a lot of luck. A thought struck Severus.

"Master, there is a good difference between a 17 year old girl and a 14 year old girl. How is it no one questioned her age?"

"Good catch Severus. We don't know. The girl in the hospital looks to be 17 and the diagnostic spells have confirmed the age. Master Michaels is attempting to get pictures of the Marks girls but they have not as yet been received. I am hoping that when I return to the university tomorrow, not only will Ms Marks be awake but that the pictures will also be waiting. Once everything is in place, hopefully we will have our answer. Which brings me to the other reason for my visit."

Making sure he had Severus' attention, Master Troyan went on.

"In the event this girl is Katherine Marks, and going on that assumption, decisions have to be made. The normal punishment for falsifying an application is restriction from submitting another application for a period of no less than 5-years. The fact that Ms Marks was actually accepted and is attending is something else. The board has recommended two courses of action. The first is that upon verification of the deceit, Katherine Marks would be immediately expelled and forbidden to attend any university in Europe for a period of 10 years. In effect, she would be banned from studying overseas, and you know there are no potions master universities in the states. The second course of action is more lenient but also adds more problems. If Ms Marks were to agree to accept punishment just from the university, namely me, and agree to an outside apprenticeship with a potions master of my choosing, she would simply be placed in a suspended status and would be allowed to return to the university when she comes of age."

Again, Master Troyan paused, waiting for Severus' reaction and again he was not disappointed when the realization of what Master Troyan was suggesting actually hit him. Severus stood up and started pacing furiously before facing his old Master. Making a hard slashing motion with the reference letter he still held in his hand, Severus responded.

"No, absolutely not, forget it. I have enough headaches with the students I teach here, I am NOT going to further drive myself crazy by taking on an apprentice, and a deceitful American brat at that."

Master Troyan inwardly laughed at his former apprentice. Nope, Severus Snape had not changed at all.

"Now Severus, you are probably the only one who knows what it is like to have this type of potions ability. Ms Marks doesn't need an average potions master as her master, she needs someone who can guide her studies and help her do so safely. With her abilities, she is too likely to take dangerous chances. She has probably the highest potential of any potions student I have seen, and that includes you. It would be a tragic loss to the magic community to lose that ability. I would take her on myself but my job as headmaster would forbid it; it would be seen as a conflict of interest seeing as I have to be the one to make the decision to suspend her from the university."

"Master, there are other considerations here. If she is in fact only 14, she is underage, which means she would require a local guardian at least, yet, you said her family died in that fire..." Severus trailed off. Master Troyan waited expectantly and once again heard:

"No, absolutely not...forget it. Master you have GOT to be kidding me."

"Severus," Troyan sighed, "just think about it, please, out of respect for me. You don't have to make a decision as yet, we don't even know if the decision has to be made. Honestly, would it be so hard or so bad to actually have the pleasure of mentoring a student with such great potential?"

"Old man you are cracked...too much of that stuff you refer to as wine." Severus groused as Troyan roared with laughter.

"Ok, I will think about it but don't hold your breath. Then again, maybe you should; it would be a pleasure to see you turn blue; it never was your best color."

Troyan stood and clapped Severus on the back. "I knew you'd see things my way. Now, how about a tour of the castle before dinner hmmm?"

As Severus and Troyan departed Snape's quarters, all Snape could think about was that he was out of his headache remedy.......


	4. A Decision and Plans are Made

_Author's Notes: I am using this to address a couple of reviews. To angeleye68: yes, Harry will be making an appearance in both his position as an auror and in his position as a friend to Severus. To spoiledone: taking a guess at the ages based on the assumption that the Potter's and Severus were 21 when Harry was born, my timeline puts Severus at 45. Since we know Harry was born in July 1981, and the story takes place in 2005, after Harry's birthday, that would make Harry and company 24. To Rislanderinks: Yes, I liked that line as well. While Severus is respectful to Troyan, that doesn't mean his adult self can't reflect his thoughts :). There will be a few other less than 100% respectful replies as the start of this story plays out. It simply shows the level of comfort Severus feels around his old mentor._

_As a side note. Sentences are written in certain ways for a reason. Some sentences will give a hint as to information or events to come; the reader need only pick up on the hints :)_

Chapter 3: A Decision and Plans are Made

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

Severus was up early, having spent a restless night thanks to Master Troyan and his harebrained ideas. Honestly, Severus thought grumpily as he nursed his morning coffee, either the old man has lost it or I have. How can I even be considering this? Taking on an apprentice isn't such a big deal but add in the added complication of that apprentice being a 14 year old girl, one that would be too young to help teach for at least a year, one that would have to be integrated into classes here at Hogwarts; three to four weeks into the term at that, by the time all the plans are made, plus a probable guardianship; I just don't know.

Finishing up the contents of his cup, he set it down and rubbed his hands over his face with a groan. Normally, a decision like this would be made in a logical manner. Take the facts, look at the options and make a decision. Quick, easy, final. The fact that it was Master Troyan making the request only made it harder to decline. In his two years of apprenticeship, Severus had learned that Master Troyan was not a man to make a decision in haste. He was very meticulous in how he approached problems and generally, his final decisions or solutions were dead on. Severus not only respected the older wizard as a mentor, he also respected him for the simple fact of who Master Troyan was; a talented, strong and dedicated wizard with a good heart and a stubborn attitude when it was needed. He would not have made this decision to approach Severus without careful thought and consideration of what he would be asking. Master Troyan knew Severus almost better than Severus knew himself and deep down, though he was loathe to admit it, he trusted Master Troyan's instincts. Severus took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his mind made up. If the situation came to fruition as expected, he would honor Master Troyan's request.

As Severus sat lost in thought, Master Troyan made his way into the sitting area. Spotting Severus sitting at the table, Troyan stopped and took a moment to silently observe his former apprentice. The affection he felt for this one was the strongest of any apprentice he had ever mentored. Severus had worked tirelessly in his efforts to complete his potions mastery in only two years, as opposed to the standard four. As in typical teenage fashion, the then 17 year old Severus had gotten into his share of normal trouble but otherwise, he had been a dedicated student, perhaps too dedicated at times, eager to learn and always looking for approval. His only major fault had been the fact that he couldn't, or wouldn't, accept failure in himself. While the man he was watching now saw failure as an excuse to delve further into research, the boy he had been had seen failure as absolute and that often manifested itself in frustration and anger. It had taken more than one sharp correction to teach the boy that had been, that failure wasn't to be feared. It was the fear of having to try again that was the true failure. Only when Severus had finally learned this, did his true potions ability come to light and after that, there was no stopping his advance to potions master. When Ms Marks' identity had come into question, Master Troyan hadn't even hesitated when he thought of Severus. Even if Severus didn't realize it yet, taking on Ms Marks as his apprentice would be beneficial to both him and the girl. "Troyan," his conscience mocked, "you are an interfering, sentimental fool." Troyan smiled evilly. "It's just too much fun to mess with Severus and watch his reactions. I have to entertain myself somehow," he answered himself back. Looking back at Severus, he saw Severus square his shoulders and his face took on a determined look. Troyan recognized the gesture and the look; Severus had made his decision.

As Troyan took a step forward, Severus suddenly realized the wizard was nearby.

"Good morning Master…I trust you slept well?"

"I did indeed Severus, thank you," Troyan returned warmly. "I wouldn't say no to a cup of that lovely smelling coffee."

Severus laughed. "Still the consummate caffeine addict are you?" Severus had seen Troyan down more coffee than one person should be able to drink without being sick, and usually before 8 in the morning. He would then drink it off and on through the morning, finally slowing down around lunchtime. One of Severus' ongoing assignments was to make sure Master Troyan's coffee was readily available. A silly chore, but one Severus had enjoyed.

"Carly," Severus called his personal house-elf.

A small, house-elf appeared immediately. Large blue eyes were set in a decidedly feminine face. Clad in the standard Hogwarts crested tea towel that all the school house-elves wore, Carly had been assigned to Severus as his personal house-elf when he became a part of the teaching staff. When the elf wasn't personally caring for Severus, she worked with the other house-elves in supporting the castle inhabitants and lived with Severus during the summer holidays.

"Good morning Masters Severus and Troyan. What can Carly get for you?" Severus was proud of Carly. He absolutely cringed at how house-elves talked. Realizing it wasn't their fault, just normal for the species, he had managed to teach Carly how to speak properly.

"Good morning Carly," Severus smiled at her. "May we get some more coffee please, and some of those scones for which you are so famous?" Severus asked.

"Oh of course Master Severus," Carly said, smiling warmly, "right away."

Carly popped back out and Severus faced Troyan with an embarrassed smile. "I am ashamed to admit that I have become addicted to Carly's scones. It has gotten to the point that she always has them ready for me…. like you and your infernal coffee addiction," he teased Troyan.

"Ah well apprentice," Troyan said with affection, "there ARE worse things too which we could get addicted. I'd say coffee and scones are the least of the lot."

Carly popped back in with a large tray laden with scones in her hands and at the same time, a duplicate tray appeared on the table holding a large pot of coffee and arranged around the pot, various pots of jams, butter and cream.

"Will there be anything else Carly can get Master Severus?"

"This will do for now Carly, thank you."

"Just call if you will be needing anything else Master Severus; Carly will be happy to serve." Executing a deep bow to the two wizards, Carly smiled and popped back out.

Severus prepared a large mug of the brew and handed it to Troyan, watching in amusement as Troyan took a sip and closed his eyes in blissful pleasure.

"I can't say much for the British taste in wines but I can't fault your coffee," Troyan praised. "wonder if the house-elves would be willing to part with some for me to take back?"

Severus laughed. "I am sure it can be arranged."

Each man took a scone off the tray and unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Troyan got to the point.

"So, have you made up your mind yet apprentice?"

Severus took a minute before answering. This was it, he thought. Once he actually voiced his decision, there was no turning back.

"I will say Master that I have reservations about this. While I have taken on an apprentice before, the details behind that match were not nearly as complicated as they are for what you are asking. After careful consideration, I have decided to honor your request, if the situation warrants, however, I have to first inform Albus and let him know the possible situation. If the situation is as we assume, Ms Marks would need to integrate into classes here at Hogwarts."

"Understood Severus, understood and I wouldn't expect anything different. I need to return to the university this afternoon to check on things before classes start again on Monday. If Albus is agreeable to the issue, you are going to need to come to the university. Can you get away?"

"We have substitute instructors that can handle classes for a day or two if needed; they are always available. While l I don't like leaving my classes to others, too many accidents can happen and my Slytherins can be little monsters, I am sure a day or two won't be a problem. "

_Late that same morning…….._

Severus and Master Troyan were making their way to the headmaster's office. Curious eyes and a lot of whispering followed the pair but any student in the path of Snape quickly stepped aside, allowing the two to proceed unhindered.

Once the pair was out of sight and away form eavesdropping students, Troyan commented.

"Hmmm….reminds me of that muggle character Moses and his parting of the Red Sea. Tell me apprentice, do all the students here react this way to your presence?" Troyan asked.

Severus smirked. "It used to take me many years to get them trained. Now, it takes only one look during the first year and they are instantly accommodating."

Troyan smacked Severus lightly on the back of the head. "For shame apprentice."

Severus ducked a bit but didn't otherwise try to avoid the light tap. He laughed at Troyan and said with great dignity, " Master, I have a reputation to uphold and if it keeps the little brats in line so much the better. I find I don't have to talk nearly as much anymore."

As they approached the stone gargoyle leading to the headmaster's quarters, Severus slowed slightly and when they came to within a few feet of the stone guardian, Severus gave the password with a grimace.

"Snickers Bars."

As the portal opened and the staircase started to wind its way up, Severus turned to Master Troyan. "Albus is addicted to muggle candy of almost any type. His passwords get sweeter every term."

Troyan laughed again as he and Severus began to climb the stairs. Having met Albus before, he knew the older wizard's penchant for sweets.

Upon reaching the top, Severus knocked lightly on the door. At the muffled command to enter, Severus opened the door and let Master Troyan precede him into the headmaster's office. Troyan was pleased to see the headmaster again. The man hadn't changed. His snow white beard still reached down to his knees, tied with a slight, but intricately woven silver chain half way up his chest, keeping the flowing beard neatly in place. The headmaster was wearing robes of an eye-popping yellow with blue wands and stars embroidered into the fabric. Blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles were twinkling in greeting as Albus came out from behind is overflowing desk to greet his visitors.

"Stephan my friend. So good to see you," Albus exclaimed as he shook Troyan's hand. "Severus, don't lurk child…come in and sit down."

Flushing slightly at the familiar label Albus insisted on using, and pointedly ignoring Master Troyan's smirk, Severus took the chair furthest away from Dumbledore's desk, allowing Troyan to sit in the only other available seat directly in front of the headmaster's desk. With a quick twitch of his hand, Troyan caused Severus' chair to scoot closer to the headmaster's desk, eliciting a slight yelp of surprise from the startled potions master. Severus glared at Troyan while Troyan and Dumbledore both chuckled.

Dumbledore turned back to Troyan.

"Now Stephan. When Severus made a request for us to meet, he filled me in on the general details but indicated he would expand on those details when we met. If I understand correctly, this young lady, Ms Marks was it not?"

At Troyan's nod, Dumbledore continued,

"may be apprenticed to Severus and will need a place to stay. Her apprenticeship of course is no problem. We have encouraged our teaching staff all along to feel free to take on an apprentice at any time. Normally, an apprentice would also act as a student teacher, taking over some of the lower level classes for the primary instructor. If Ms Marks is indeed only 14, I am afraid that she would not be able to take over any teaching duties. The education directorate of the ministry is very strict in that no one under the age of 15 may independently teach classes. They are allowed to act as tutors of course, outside of regular classes and to help the primary instructor during classes. Ms Marks would, of course, be welcomed in the classes here at Hogwarts. Severus mentioned some of her marks weren't of university grade so we could do some preliminary testing and maybe place her in grade level, or slightly higher, courses to get her caught up."

Dumbledore paused as he glanced at the two wizards in front of him.

"I am intrigued as to the rest, perhaps you can fill me in?"

Troyan glanced at Severus and Severus waved at him to take over.

"You have it right Albus. In the event that Ms Marks is in fact Katherine Marks, there are some issues. By wizard law, students under the age of 17 cannot attend a university. I have discussed options with the university board as well as with the other European university heads. All heads agreed that rather than go with the more severe sentence of essentially banishing Ms Marks from any European university for her, well, lack of judgment in falsifying her records, I, and the other heads, would prefer to see her given a second chance. The board feels that her deceit needs to be addressed with more than a simple suspension from the university. As such, the board has agreed that if she accepts a reasonable punishment from the university, left to my discretion, and apprentices to a potions master of my choosing, she would simply be placed under suspension and would be allowed to attend the university once she comes of age. Her record would only indicate that she left for personal reasons. Granted, we would have to leave the choice to Ms Marks but I have a feeling she will opt for the lesser sentence. "

Dumbledore nodded. "Severus mentioned something about her lack of family in the states?"

Severus spoke up. "Apparently, her family died in a suspicious house fire, which leaves her with no family. As such, I would be required to take guardianship until she is of age, however, technically, as an orphan, the American Directorate would have to agree to basically everything we are trying to accomplish with this. Unfortunately, the head of the American directorate is a bumbling idiot."

"Severus, enough about Michaels" Troyan scolded mildly, chuckling.

"I take it we may need to intercede on Ms Marks' behalf in order to get the American directorate to agree to allow Severus to take guardianship. I think I know someone who could help with that," he said, as he looked at Severus.

"Harry?" Severus questioned.

"Correct."

"Who is this Harry?" Troyan asked.

"Harry Potter was a student here at Hogwarts and a prime player in the fall of Voldemort. He is now head of the auror department at the ministry and has a special knack for just this type of situation. I think his help would be invaluable. I can contact him, or you can Severus, to explain the problem. We may want to wait until we know Ms Marks' identity for sure but if the assumptions are correct, I would recommend that we contact Harry as soon as possible."

"Wait a minute, is this Harry Potter, _THAT, _Harry Potter?"

Severus nodded. "I will write him this evening with the particulars."

Dumbledore turned back to Troyan. "What is our timing in all of this?"

Troyan furrowed his brow.

"At this point, I can't give a set timeframe. It depends on if Ms Marks is well enough to question and the if the pictures of the Marks girls have arrived from Director Michaels," he stopped for a second as Severus snorted. Troyan threw Severus an admonishing glare and went on as Dumbledore chuckled at the pouting look on Severus' face.

"I need to get back to the university in a couple of hours to check on things. I know that Severus has to teach here, but I would need him at the university for at least two days, maybe three, if we need to follow through on this plan of action. Is there going to be a problem with Severus coming back to the university for a few days?"

Dumbledore considered.

"Severus?" he asked.

" I can modify my lesson plans that will allow the students to work on some theory, which some definitely need anyway. The NEWT level students are more or less on independent study right now and I could have them simply work on theory as well. If no brewing is involved, perhaps Minerva or Filius could simply be present in the classroom to answer any questions. Otherwise, I believe Mistress Woodbright could take over for a few days. I wouldn't, however, subject Mistress Woodbright to my Slytherins as head-of-house; they would eat her alive. My suggestion would be to have Minerva take over as head pro-tem of Slytherin house."

At Troyans's questioning glance, Severus explained.

"Mistress Woodbright is a retired potions mistress but she has expressed an interest in returning now and again to teach. She could easily supervise the lower classes though I wouldn't want to take a chance on her supervising the NEW level students. They are working with slightly more volatile ingredients and I don't think Mistress Woodbright would be able to handle any major problems, simply due to her age."

"Agreed Severus. Once we get word from Troyan on Ms Marks, I will contact Mistress Woodbright. Adjust your syllabi as necessary and have them ready just in case. If she is unavailable, we can go ahead and implement the non-brewing syllabi and someone will supervise the classroom during classes. Minerva can handle Slytherin house for a few days I am sure."

Severus nodded.

"Excellent," Dumbledore said, as he clapped his hands together, "is there anything else we need to discuss?"

"I think we have everything covered," Troyan said, glancing again at Severus who agreed with a short nod. "I appreciate your help in this Albus. I am sure Ms Marks will express her thanks as well."

"Excellent, excellent," Dumbledore exclaimed. "Now that the official business is over, would either of you care for a lemon drop?"

Severus just groaned.


	5. Finalizing Plans

Chapter 4: Finalizing Plans

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_15 September 2005_

_Harry_

_I extend my regards to you and your family and hope this letter finds all of you well. I cannot go into details here but I need to see you as soon as possible to speak with you on an issue that has come to light. The issue is rather urgent, to a certain degree, though not an emergency. The best location for us to talk would be here at Hogwarts, as headmaster Dumbledore needs to be kept apprised of certain details, however, I am amendable to another location if required. _

_Please respond back with a time and location that is convenient to you and I will make myself available. _

_In due regard_

_Severus Snape_

Severus read over the short missive and decided it would suffice. He had not added a good time for a meeting as he knew Harry would be careful to schedule something after the normal class hours ended for the day. Despite their earlier animosity towards each other, Severus found Harry to be unfailingly observant and considerate to those around him. His reputation as an auror, however, decried this. According to the other aurors Harry worked with, he was no one to mess with when it came to an investigation.

He still had a good hour before his first class of the morning, so Severus walked up to the owlery in order to post the letter before breakfast. Arriving at the owlery, Severus coaxed down one of the sleepy school owls with an owl treat. Tying the letter to the owl's leg, he took the owl to the open window and with a gentle stroke to the owl's breast in a gesture of thanks, Severus allowed the bird to take off. Master Troyan had returned to the university almost immediately after the meeting with Dumbledore. Severus was hoping for a letter from Troyan today to update him on the events at the university.

_Midmorning…_

Severus was in the classroom, supervising the double period of third year Slytherins and Gryffindors. The students were in the middle of an exam so all was quiet within the lab, with the exception of the scratching of quills on parchment and the occasional muffled groan as a student came across a question they were not prepared to answer. Severus looked up as the door to the classroom opened. A small first year, one of his new Slytherins, made his way to Severus' desk, paling slightly as he noted the stern look on his head-of-house's face. Severus hoped, for the child's sake, the boy was not in trouble.

"Mr. McCuithbert, I trust you have an excellent reason for interrupting my class," Severus snapped.

Swallowing hard as he met the eyes of his head-of-house, the first year finally got the nerve to speak;

"P-Professor," the boy stuttered, "this letter just came for you," the boy said, holding out an envelope, his hand shaking. "Professor Dumbledore said it was urgent and asked me to bring it to you Sir."

Severus took the letter and softening his features and his voice slightly, he responded.

"Very well, thank you Mr. McCuithbert, you may go."

"Yes Sir," the boy replied. Severus continued to watch until the boy was out the door and then turning back, full glare firmly back in place, he noticed the class looking at him curiously.

"Get back to work," he snapped.

The class quickly returned their attention to their exams and Severus, making sure the class was appropriately occupied, returned to his desk. Noting that the letter was from Master Troyan, he quietly broke the seal and took out the letter. Glancing up to make sure the class was still paying more attention to their exams instead of him, he turned his attention back to the letter and read:

_15 September 2005_

_Severus,_

_First, let me express my thanks for your kind hospitality this past weekend. I returned to the university last night and was met by some startling news. Madame Struden, our resident mediwitch, informed me that Ms Marks was apparently under the influence of Polyjuice Potion or some derivative thereof. Based on the comparison between the girl in the medical wing and the picture I have received from the American directorate, there is no longer any doubt that Katherine Marks is here at the university. Madame Struden informs me that her health is returning and she is scheduled for release on Tuesday afternoon, with permission to return to classes on Thursday. Based on that prognosis, my recommendation is for you to come to the university tomorrow or early Wednesday. I plan to speak with Ms Marks Wednesday afternoon, but can delay until Wednesday evening if necessary. _

_I await your reply_

_Master Troyan_

Severus swore inwardly. He couldn't leave right now to send a reply and it was still 30 minutes until the class period ended. Severus had not as yet received a reply back from Harry and he wanted to speak with Harry before he left for the university. Still, he and Harry could always do this by letter; speaking face-to-face just made things a little easier to explain. Taking that line, Severus made his decision.

_15 September 2005_

_Master,_

_I will check with Headmaster Dumbledore to verify that everything is in place and will plan to arrive no later than 10 am on Wednesday._

_Respectfully_

_Severus_

It suddenly hit Severus, why would Master Troyan indicate a possible derivative of Polyjuice Potion? There were no derivatives.

_30 minutes later…_

After collecting the exam papers and dismissing his class, Severus used his one free period of the day to make his way to the owlery and post his reply to Master Troyan. As he turned to leave the owlery, another post owl entered with the letter from Harry. Perfect timing for once, Severus mused. Taking the letter and offering the tired owl an owl treat, Severus took the letter out of the envelope and grimaced. Potter still had horrible penmanship.

_15 September 2005_

_Professor,_

_The family is well thank you. I would be happy to assist you in any way possible. If you can meet with me tonight at Hogwarts, I can be there at 7 pm. I will need to bring Teddy and James along as Ginny is in France with the team for their first game of the season, but they shouldn't be any trouble. If this time is good for you, you need not reply. Unless I hear otherwise, I will assume this time is satisfactory and I will see you at 7._

_Sincerely_

_Harry_

Severus groaned. He was glad that he and Harry would have the chance to talk prior to his departure to Germany, however, he was not happy that Harry was bringing the two children. Past encounters had shown the two to be energetic monsters when they put their minds together although, Severus admitted to himself, they tended to respond well to Harry's firm guidance. A thought struck him.

"Carly," he called.

The house elf appeared, bowing low. "What can Carly do for Master Severus?" she asked with affection.

"Harry Potter will be coming by tonight at 7 pm and he is brining two small children with him. Can you watch over them and make sure they stay out of trouble and out of harm's way, until Harry and I conclude our business?"

Carly visibly brightened in anticipation. "Oh yes Master Severus. Carly would be pleased to look after the children."

"Very well," Severus replied, "I will contact you when they arrive."

Severus waved his hand in dismissal. The house elf bowed and then popped out of the owlery, leaving Severus alone. He turned and started to make his way to Dumbledore's office, to inform him that Harry would be arriving at the castle that evening to go over the guardianship issues.

_6:58 PM…_

Severus was in his quarters making final preparations for Harry's arrival when there was a knock at the door. Severus opened the door to find Harry and the two children. 8 yr old Teddy Lupin, Harry's godson, whom he had taken in after the deaths of Remus and Dora Lupin, was holding Harry's hand and looking up shyly at Severus, a children's book clutched in his free hand. 2 yr old James, Harry's only child, was in his father's arms, dozing sleepily on his father's shoulder and otherwise not paying much attention to Severus. Looking pointedly at the clock, he looked at Harry. "You are two minutes early Potter," he growled.

Harry just smiled back. "Didn't want to be late Professor. I might get detention," he quipped.

Severus chuckled at his former student's cheek. "I have made arrangements with Carly to watch the boys while we talk. This way we won't be interrupted."

Harry laughed. "Good choice, although, it is getting late for James so he is a little too sleepy to be making any trouble. I had Teddy," he smiled down at his godson, "bring a book with him so that should keep him busy."

"Carly," Severus called.

"Carly is here Master Snape.

"Carly, you remember Harry?"

"Ooo yes Master Snape. Mister Harry was good at sneaking down to the kitchens after curfew to eat snacks when Mister Harry was at school."

Harry flushed as Severus raised his brow.

"Mister Harry how are you? Are these your little ones?"

"Hi Carly, I am well thank you and yes, these are my boys. This is Teddy," Harry nodded to the boy holding his hand, "and this is James, although, he is a little sleepy right now."

Severus bent down slightly to get more on Teddy's level and addressed the boy firmly.

"Mr Lupin, can you sit quietly on the couch and read while your uncle and I have a talk? I think Carly can manage some pumpkin juice and a snack and she will be right here with you," Severus held out his hand to the boy.

Teddy disengaged himself from Harry and placed his small hand trustingly in Severus', giving a smile to the tall man. "Yes Sir," he replied, remembering his manners.

"Good boy," Severus praised, as he walked Teddy over to the couch.

Seeing that James had fallen asleep in Harry's arms, Severus transfigured a chair into a comfortable child's bed.

"Harry, why don't you lie James down; let him sleep."

"Thanks Professor," Harry said in relief as he gently laid his sleeping son on the bed, covering him with the warm blanket. "Carly, I doubt he'll wake. Once he's asleep, he'll sleep through anything," Harry said to the house elf with a chuckle.

Carly glanced at the sleeping toddler. "Now don't you worry Mister Harry, Carly can take care of the little ones."

"Carly, Harry and I need to go to the headmaster's office. Please floo call if you or the boys need anything."

"Yes Master Severus. Carly will call."

"Teddy," Harry addressed his godson and waited until Teddy was looking at him. "We won't be long; be good for Carly."

"Yes, sir," Teddy answered proudly, already returning his attention to his book.

Turning back, Harry and Severus made their way out of Severus' quarters and started the long walk to Dumbledore's office.

"You and Ginny have done well with them Harry."

"Thanks Professor. It hasn't always been easy. Ginny and I were pretty lost at the beginning but Teddy made things easy. Then James came along and we were back to being confused again. He changed the rules on us," Harry laughed.

Severus chuckled. "Serves you right brat. Now you know what the teaching staff goes through every year."

Finally, the pair reached the stone gargoyle.

"So which sweet is the favorite this term?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Snickers Bars," Severus said, and at the same time, the portal opened and the stairs began their ascent. As Severus and Harry climbed, Harry rolled his eyes. "I never understood why he never used 'lemon drop' as a password considering he is nuts over the things."

"Too easy to guess. Everyone knows," Severus returned.

The door opened just as Severus and Harry arrived and they walked through to find Dumbledore already walking towards them.

"Harry!" he exclaimed, pulling Harry into a strong embrace as though he hadn't seen Harry just a couple of weeks ago, "welcome my boy."

"Hello professor," Harry said, pulling back to look at the older wizard. "Are you enjoying the start of term?"

"Always Harry. The castle gets lonely without the students."

"More like calm and quiet," Severus muttered.

Harry and Dumbledore chuckled, even as Dumbledore gestured to the two chairs sitting in front of his desk.

"Harry," Dumbledore said, his voice going a little more serious, "we are going to need your help."

"Of course Professor, whatever you need," Harry replied.

"Severus, why don't you tell Harry our problem."

"My former potions master, Master Troyan, is now the headmaster at the university in Germany where I received my potions mastery. One of the current students managed to get accepted to the university on the potions program under completely false pretenses, taking on the identity of someone else. From what we know, the student is only 14 years old. The university has decided on two possible courses of action, the most severe of which is effectively banishment from all European universities for a period of 10 years."

Harry winced.

"However, Master Troyan has managed to get the board to agree to a lesser consequence. If the student, one Katherine Marks, were to accept punishment from the university and an apprenticeship with a potions master outside of the university, she would only be suspended and would be allowed to return to the university once she comes of age. Master Troyan has approached me with the request to become her mentor, as well as her guardian, as she is underage. Her guardianship, however, poses a problem. Apparently, Ms Marks' muggle family died in a fire in their home. This makes the American directorate directly responsible for her guardianship and it would be necessary to gain their permission before that guardianship could be transferred."

"So what's the problem?" Harry asked.

"Normally, a student studying outside their home country wouldn't be a problem. The family gives permission for temporary guardianship to transfer to the master or mistress with full rights returned to the family once the apprenticeship ends, if the student is still underage."

"I am only going on supposition at this point. Given the fact Ms Marks does not, at least, as far as we know, have any family to speak for her, the American directorate could make the decision to assign a guardian in the states rather than allow her to study here in Britain. While not normally something to be concerned about, her talent in potions is remarkable. There are no wizarding universities in the states that offer a potions mastery. Her talents would be wasted or delayed and if so, it could be a great loss to the wizarding community as a whole."

"I will help in any way I can of course. Once you get Ms Marks here, however, we can talk more if the American directorate is proving stubborn. In the mean time, I will contact my counterpart in the intelligence office, the American version of an auror office, and see if I can find out anything more on Ms Marks and her situation."

"I will be heading to Germany tomorrow to confront her with Master Troyan. While we have made assumptions based on early facts, there hasn't as yet been confirmation of those facts from Ms Marks herself," Severus stated. On the off chance there is a real explanation for all this, what we have discussed will not matter."

"Understood," Harry said. "I'll be discrete and keep things on a low level until we are sure about Ms Marks' situation at the university. Please contact me to keep me updated on things and we can go from there."

"Thank you Harry," Dumbledore smiled warmly. "Your help will be invaluable."

"Anytime Sir, you know that," Harry said. Harry turned to Severus.

"Professor, I have a feeling you are taking on a challenge and I will assist you in any way I can. With any luck, this won't be anything complicated."

"I appreciate your attention Harry. Shall we head back to my quarters and rescue Carly from your godson?"

Harry laughed. "I guess we bettter. I wouldn't want Carly to tell anymore of my secrets from when I was in school."

Severus addressed Dumbledore. "Headmaster, I need to get ready to head to Germany. I will have my lesson plans on the desk in my office first thing in the morning. I will also have a little heart-to-heart talk with my Slytherins. Hopefully, when I am through, they will be too scared to misbehave and won't drive Minerva into the insane ward at St. Mungos."

Harry snorted but covered it with a cough when Severus looked at him sharply. Smiling, Harry said "so the Slytherins haven't changed huh?"

"Brat," Severus scolded mildly, his lips twitching, "let's go rescue Carly. I have things to do tonight."

Bidding farewell to the headmaster, Severus and Harry walked out of the office and headed back to the dungeons. Teddy had done Harry proud and hadn't given Carly any trouble, and, just as Harry had predicted, James was still sound asleep and wasn't even aware when his father picked him up. Severus walked Harry to the apparition point outside the gates and watched as Harry apparated away with the boys.

Once Harry was gone, Severus returned to the castle to gather his Slytherins for a stern lecture. They wouldn't dare misbehave in his absence when he got done with this house meeting. Not if they valued their hides.


	6. Returning to School

_Author's note: First, I want to thank those who have offered their reviews. I have become a review junky ____ so please keep them coming. While the previous chapters were a build-up to the actual "event," things are going to get more interesting. In the next couple of chapters, you will not only finally meet the pending apprentice, but you will get to see a little of Severus' time at the Academy and his interactions with his fellow students and of course, Master Troyan. You are also going to discover why Severus has such an attachment to making students scrub the potions lab with toothbrushes._

_For orientation purposes, I have set the Academy in Schwandorf, Bavaria located in Southeastern Germany. The academy was established in 1612 by the German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler; whose general details are at the bottom of this chapter for those interested._

Chapter 5: Returning to School

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_8:30 am…._

Severus had his bag open on the bed and was in his wardrobe, contemplating what he needed to take with him to Germany. A portion of the trip would be in a Professor/Master capacity so he had to take at least one set of professor or Potion's Master robes, yet, the rest of the time would be more informal. Making his decision, he took out two pairs of muggle dress slacks, in black of course, and added one black linen shirt and one white linen shirt to the bag. Turning to his row of robes, Severus ran his hand gently down the set of Potions Master's robes he had received from Master Troyan when he received his mastery. It was considered custom for the master of the newly advanced apprentice to supply the new master with the robes of their profession. These robes were still in Severus' possession more so out of sentiment than actual use. Due to a late growth spurt, these robes were too small, yet, Severus had never been able to bring himself to dispose of them. The uniform of the Potions Master was very close in form to the robes Severus wore everyday to teach. A white shirt of the finest linen was worn under the outer robe. Like the robe, the shirt was embroidered with the emblem of the potions master; a gold cauldron with steam rising, intertwined with a wand. The slacks were made of black silk, and tucked into low, black, ankle boots. The outer robe, in deep black, did not completely close in front but instead, was connected by a finely rolled, but thick chain made of gold. The potions master emblem appeared on the upper left portion of the robe, just below the shoulder. The ¾ length black outer cloak was lined in a deep green and closed with a clasp in the shape of a gold cauldron. Severus hesitated over the cloak and decided to bring it with him. It was the middle of September and the nights got chilly in Southeastern Germany that time of year. Running through his mental checklist as he checked the contents of his bag, he verified everything was accounted for and closing the bag, he grabbed his traveling cloak and walked into the sitting room. Setting down his bag for a minute while he tossed his cloak around his shoulders, Severus went to his floo and tossing in the floo powder, picked up his bag, stepped into the bright green flames and said, "Belgium Cross Station." A loud whoosh was heard and Severus disappeared.

_4 hours later…._

Severus absolutely detested international floo travel. Even with the advances in floo travel, traveling internationally was still a lesson in patience and sheer determination. Severus had gotten delayed for three hours at the Belgium cross station due to a lack of floo portals and high travel volume. Where normally the trip to the academy shouldn't have taken more than an hour, Severus was just over four hours in travel. He had told Master Troyan that he would arrive by 10am, yet, it was now almost 1pm and Severus had only just arrived at the academy's reception area. Severus had sent his patronus ahead, notifying Master Troyan of the unintentional delay, and had received Master Troyan's patronus in response, letting Severus know that all was well, that he would see Severus when he arrived, and not to worry about being late. Severus arrived, aggravated and hungry, knowing he would not be able to appease his rumbling stomach before meeting with Master Troyan.

The reception area was decorated in dark wood tones that set off the large gold insignia of the academy that was inlaid in the center of the floor which read: "Kepler Academy of Advanced Magic, Established 1612. A wise person knows that there is something to be learned from everyone." Looking around briefly, Severus noted that suede couches in muted gold tones were arranged against the walls and tables were set in front of each couch. Severus knew that the large pitcher standing on the table, just to the left of the reception desk, was filled with cold water which constantly refreshed itself; glasses were arranged in a circle around the pitcher. An apprentice was coming around the reception desk, a position the apprentices filled on a rotating basis as a part of their duties. "Ah, Master Snape, welcome back to the academy. I hope your travel went well?" the apprentice greeted.

"Hardly," Severus grumbled. "There was a three hour delay at the Belgium cross station. Two of their three floos were down for cleaning and there seems to be a lot of people in transit today."

The apprentice laughed. "I know Sir, I have to travel that route myself occasionally in order to visit family. I try to make the trip in the early morning hours; seems less busy. Your rooms are all set for you and Headmaster Troyan has scheduled a late lunch in the staff dining room with a few of the other masters; he thought you might be hungry. Severus laughed inwardly; Master Troyan had always teased him about his appetite. "If you wish, you may proceed directly to the dining room and I will take your bag to your room. You are on the ground floor in the senior visiting staff room."

Severus glanced at the apprentice's name plate, noticing the small number 2 on the cauldron engraved on the nameplate indicating the student was a second level potions apprentice. " Thank you Apprentice Sheffield. I would prefer to clean up a bit before heading to the dining room. You need not accompany me, I know my way," Severus smiled to lessen the slight sting in his words. "If you would, please notify Headmaster Troyan I have arrived and will be with him in about 20 minutes."

"Yes Sir, I shall do so immediately."

Grimacing at the dust on his clothes, Severus made his way to the visiting staff room, took a quick shower and after dressing in his formal potions master robes, made his way to the staff dining room. The only time he had been in this room was as an apprentice, helping to serve meals to the staff. The room was strictly off-limits to all students at any other time and breaking that rule meant a lot of time scrubbing pots and pans the muggle way. The fact that he was now allowed entry beyond apprentice duties made him hesitate for just a moment at the large oak door. Old habits die hard, he thought, as he pushed open the heavy door.

Walking in, he was greeted by Master Troyan and a few other lingering staff members. "Ah, Severus. Finally made it through Belgium I see. Always thought it was the worst cross station in the system. Welcome back," Troyan greeted, as he clapped Severus on the shoulder.

"Thank you Headmaster Troyan. I see you have not lost your gift of gross understatement," Severus groused, but with a smirk. The other staff members laughed.

"Severus, may I introduce a few of our current staff. This is Defense Master James McCuithbert, Assistant mediwitch Mistress Heidi van Klein, Defense Master Eirik Skillrud, and Potions and Lab Director Master Andreas Nyholm.." Severus nodded to each in turn as Master Troyan introduced them.

"All, this is Potions Master Severus Snape, a former apprentice of mine. He is currently teaching in Scotland at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy as the potions professor and resident potions master. He is here to assist with the disposition of Ms Marks." There were quiet rumbles of greeting from the staff members which Severus acknowledged politely.

As the staff gathered around the table and took their seats, Troyan waved Severus to the chair on his right. As they took their seats, two apprentices entered, carrying several trays of food. Placing them carefully on the table, the apprentices asked the various masters their choice of drink and filled the goblets accordingly.

"Apprentice Frasier and Apprentice Moreau, you are not required to remain; we can serve ourselves. Please return in one hour for normal clean-up." The two apprentices acknowledged Master Troyan's instructions and made their way out the door. Once the door was firmly closed, Master Troyan placed a silencing spell on the room and then smiled at his staff. "Eat up."

Severus turned to Master McCuithbert. "Master McCuithbert, I have a new first-year student in my house with the same last name, one Ian McCuithbert. Are you by chance related?"

Master McCuithbert smiled warmly. "Call me James; no need for formality. Yes, Ian is my oldest grandson. Poor child was scared to death when we dropped him off for the train. How is he getting on?"

"He is doing well. He is only two weeks into the term right now but he is settling," Severus said, making a mental note to keep an eye on the boy.

"Once he settles in, watch out. He can be a little hellion when he puts his mind to it." James laughed. "Don't be afraid to be stern with him the first time he gets into trouble; and he will. Once he knows you won't put up with his nonsense, he tends to behave. He may seem fragile, the child is a little small for his age, but trust me, he has a backbone of iron and an even stronger will. Go easy on him the first time and you'll have a problem on your hands that will only get worse. He enjoys testing people."

Severus grinned. "I appreciate the warning but I have been handling these young students for over 20 years now; not much gets past me."

Master Troyan spoke. "Severus, the staff gathered here aren't just random. Each has their own knowledge of Ms Marks. I have updated them on our plans and decided to take the time to not only let you satisfy your never ending hunger, but also to talk a bit about what we know about Ms Marks."

Severus nodded his understanding and Troyan went on.

"Helga, would you update Severus on Ms Marks' medical condition?"

"Of course Headmaster," the mediwitch answered and focused on Severus.

"Ms Marks was admitted to the hospital wing with pneumonia. We ran through the standard diagnostics and by all indications, her age was recorded as 17. Through the use of the standard treatments, her illness has resolved and she is now free of any lung infections, however, on day 5, the medical apprentice on duty was shocked, to say the least, when she walked in to find a much younger looking student in Ms Marks' bed. The apprentice notified me and I re-ran the age diagnostics. The diagnostic confirmed the new age of 14 years and also verified by DNA analysis that this was the same student. Ms Marks was in the hospital wing for a period of 6 days and was released yesterday afternoon. As per Headmaster Troyan's orders, she was ordered confined to unapprenticed quarters until Thursday, but was told that this was just for rest purposes. Going by her attitude and her desire to return to classes, I don't think Ms Marks realizes the position she is in. I checked on her this morning in the guise of checking her health, and all was well, though, she did seem angry and frustrated."

"Thank you Helga," Troyan said at the end of her discourse.

"Severus, when Ms Marks' age was revealed, Andreas went through her quarters searching for Polyjuice. He didn't find Polyjuice but he did find these," Severus reached out his hand and took the small vial that Troyan was holding out. Holding the vial up at eye level, Severus noted that the vial contained several hard, flat, round objects that, other than being gray in color, looked like the medication the muggles referred to as aspirin.

Severus turned his attention to Master Nyholm as he started to speak.

"I did a preliminary evaluation on the tablets. They contain the same general formulation as Polyjuice with one notable exception; the addition of ground blue poppy seeds."

Severus nodded. "Blue poppy seeds are naturally inert and often used as a thickening agent. That could be how the liquid form was changed to a solid," Nyholm nodded as Severus spoke.

"When we asked Ms Marks, she said the formulation was one she had created while she was staying with Master Marconi, the wizard and potions master to whom Ms Marks said she was allegedly apprenticed for a time. When I asked her about the DNA requirement and the hourly renewal, she indicated that the DNA was already within the tablet and that she had figured out that the poppy seeds acted as a time extender, as well as a thickening agent. Someone need only take a tablet every 96 hours to maintain the form they chose," Nyholm said excitedly. "It is an incredible discovery and from one so young."

"Hmmm; a discovery that has landed her into more hot water than she obviously realizes," Severus mused. "I can see her potential though. Many potions masters, including myself," Severus smiled, "have been trying to find a way to extend the Polyjuice renewal requirement. Since no one has considered making a solid Polyjuice, blue poppy seeds would never have entered our minds."

"James and Eirik are the master and assistant master, respectively, of unapprenticed quarters," Troyan went on, nodding at the two men.

"As you know Severus," James began, "first year apprentices are not formerly apprenticed until the end of first term, after the Christmas holidays. Until such a time as their apprenticeship is officially confirmed, they are housed in the unapprenticed quarters Once confirmed, the apprentice then moves to either the appropriate apprentice quarters or to their master's personal quarters, if that is the master's wish. The 17 year old Ms Marks was a hard worker, diligent in her studies and cautiously polite, but not overly respectful at times. In fact, she would get defensive when being reprimanded and her disrespect would get worse. We have seen this many times with the American students so while it is irritating, it is not unexpected. In time, usually around the time they are formally apprenticed, we find the attitude tends to lessen and respect takes it place. She has no problems voicing her opinions whether they are needed or not, but, she does generally get along with everyone.

Eirik picked up the conversation.

"She did manage to get on the wrong side of a few of the older male potions apprentices, about what exactly we were not able to determine. It was in revenge that they used a full body bind, tied her up and gagged her outside, near the greenhouses, out of sight, and left her there. Not a major issue except that night, we had torrential rains and the temperature dropped. The students, to their credit, went back outside and released her, but, she was out in the damp and cold long enough that we think this was what caused the pneumonia. Unable to take a Polyjuice tablet while she was in the hospital wing, she transformed back into the 14 year old Ms Marks that we now see."

"The students involved have been punished appropriately and none of the other students, apprenticed or unapprenticed, know of Ms Marks' true form," Troyan added. "This is where we stand from the information we were able to gather. By using the picture I received from the American directorate, we have verified that the 17 year old student that was admitted to the hospital wing as Sienna Marks, left that same hospital wing, 6 days later, as 14 year old Katherine Marks."

After giving Severus a chance to eat and think about what he had been told, Troyan spoke again.

"I have sent a message to Ms Marks to report to my office at 3:30 sharp. I expect this meeting is going to take a while but hopefully, we will have cleared everything up by the end, though I expect we will be the only ones satisfied with the outcome," Troyan said grimly.

Silently, Severus had to agree. It was going to be a long afternoon.

****************************************************************************************************

_Johannes Kepler(1571-1630) was a German mathematician who realized that the planets traveled about the sun in elliptical orbits and who developed new mathematical laws to describe this elliptical planetary motion. He used these laws to make predictions of the motions of the planets which remained accurate for decades (as opposed to years)._


	7. Meeting the Protege Part I

_Author's Notes: Here it is, the anticipated chapter; Severus meets his new apprentice and realizes he may have a problem on his hands. Severus is going to have a rather lengthy flashback memory to his first couple of weeks at the academy and this memory will give a little hint as to why Severus so despises Director Michaels. _

_As a heads-up, there will probably be several chapters where I cut over to Harry and the work he is doing to help Severus. I will preface those sections accordingly so it isn't such a dramatic change in scene._

_Due to the length of the flashback, this is going to be a double post but the same chapter._

_**CONTENT WARNING: Mild to moderate language in this chapter.**_

Chapter 6: Meeting the Protégé Part I

Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story.

_3:00 pm_

Master Troyan and Severus bid good afternoon to the other staff members and made their way to the Headmaster's office in anticipation of the confrontation with Ms Marks. Stepping in to the outer office area, a reception area of sorts, Severus was surprised to see a familiar face seated at the desk just to the left of the Headmaster's office door.

"Mrs. Kealy," Severus exclaimed happily. "I didn't know you were still here."

Mrs. Kealy was actually a squib. Married to the then resident senior Astronomy master, Mrs Kealy was employed as the headmaster's secretary. Severus remembered that Mrs Kealy guarded the Headmaster like a lioness guarding her cub. No one but NO ONE got past Mrs Kealy unless they had good reason to visit the headmaster. She had to be almost 70 now, Severus calculated quickly.

"Severus Snape is that you child?" Mrs Kealy questioned.

"I sure would like to know why people keep calling me child. I am 45 years old for Merlin's sake," Severus grumbled good naturedly.

"Child, to someone as old as I am, you are still a child." She smacked him lightly on the arm. It's about time you came back for a visit," she said with affection.

"Well, Master Troyan made an offer he wouldn't let me refuse," Severus quipped. "How is it that you haven't managed to escape Master Troyan's clutches. How you can work for this ogre is beyond me," Severus smirked, glancing back at Troyan.

"Watch yourself apprentice," Troyan growled. "You'll scare away the best kept secret of this place. Striana is the only person that can keep this place afloat," Troyan praised, glancing at his flushing secretary.

"Ach, go on with ye Headmaster and let me get back to work. Severus, don't you let that old coot tell you wrong. It's his hand that modernized the place and allowed it to keep running. Headmaster Kincaid, bless his soul, was a good Headmaster, but after he got ill he wasn't able to keep up with things. When you get done, you come talk to me for a bit, you hear?"

"Yes Ma'am," Severus answered with mock fear, leaning down to the short woman and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Mrs. Kealy blushed even more and waved the two men off into the Headmaster's office.

"Striana," Troyan called, Ms Marks is supposed to arrive at 3:30 sharp. Please show her in when she arrives."

"Aye Headmaster."

Master Troyan opened the door to his office and stood back to let Severus precede him. Waving a hand at a nearby leather chair off to the side, he said "have a seat Severus and relax. We have about 20 minutes or so before the arrival of Ms Marks. If you don't mind, I need to get some of this paperwork taken care of that Mrs Kealy keeps heaping on my desk when I am not looking."

Severus laughed. "Get to work Master," he said, as he sat in the comfortable chair.

As Troyan began rummaging through the stack of parchment that was decorating his desk, Severus took a seat in the comfortable armchair, and looked around the office. The decor in the room hadn't changed much. All in dark wood, several floor to ceiling bookcases were filled with various tomes. There was a large triple door that stood right behind Master Troyan's desk, which opened up into a low walled garden, allowing light to flood the room. As Severus let his thoughts wander, he remembered that his very first view of this room had not been at all as pleasant.......

_Flashback....._

It was pouring outside. Violent thunderstorms had been plaguing the area for the last three days and everything was sodden. Fortunately, all the buildings on campus were linked by enclosed walkways so the students and staff were able to move about relatively freely, without getting soaked. Still, being stuck inside, even given the large, garden filled courtyards that appeared in several locations, was causing tempers to run a little short.

17 year old Severus was sitting on a bench in one of the covered gardens, trying, without much luck, to wade through the monstrous amount of reading these professors liked to assign. Feeling a little stiff from sitting on the hard bench, he wasn't paying attention and didn't notice the student approaching when he stretched out his legs. The student tripped, and although he caught himself and didn't fall, the books he had been carrying scattered on the ground. Horrified, Severus quickly put his own book down and bent down to pick up the student's books. Holding the books, Severus stood up with an apology ready, turning towards the student. The student, an American from a place called Texas, laid into Severus before he could begin to speak.

"Snape, what the hell did you do that for? Can't you get your blasted head out of a book for a half second and pay attention to what the hell is going on around you?" the student raged angrily, brandishing his wand.

"Merlin's beard Michaels, I didn't do it on purpose, I'm, sorry. You know the amount of reading we've been assigned. I was just trying to stay caught up and was stiff; I didn't see you coming. Quit making such a big deal out of things," Severus snapped.

Still angry, MIchaels brought his wand to the front, which put it close to Severus' face. Startled, Severus instinctively used his hands on the larger student's chest, shoving him away with enough force that Michaels fell into the foliage on the edge of the garden. Before Severus could act, Michaels growled, dropped his wand and launched himself at Severus, shoving him back several feet and causing them to both fall back into the foliage that had been behind Severus. Tempers high due to the enforced confinement, the two started fighting muggle style, swearing at each other and rolling on the ground, damaging or destroying the plants that had the unfortunate luck to be in the way.

Suddenly, they were shoved apart by a particularly strong shield charm that erupted between them. Almost immediately, they heard a very stern voice above them.

"Gentlemen," the voice spat, as though the word were a bad tasting potion, "get up, NOW!"

Looking up, both boys paled. Severus swore under his breath. Terrific, he thought. Not only do we get caught breaking the rule about no fighting, but we have to get caught by the Headmaster himself.

"Gentlemen, do not make me repeat myself."

Once the two combatants were standing in front of him, disheveled and still breathing hard from the exertion, the headmaster let them know exactly how he felt about their poor behavior.

"TWO WEEKS!" the Headmaster roared, causing the boys to flinch back a little. "You set foot on this campus two weeks ago and already you are rolling around, at each other's throats, using language that is absolutely appalling and destroying a good portion of a very long standing garden." At that reminder, Severus glanced at the foliage and winced. They really had made a mess.

Severus looked back at the headmaster and started to mutter an apology when he was cut off. "Not one word Mr. Snape. I don't want to hear it." Severus bit his lip a little and unable to look at the headmaster anymore, he flicked his eyes to the clasp on the man's cloak.

"Wands to me gentlemen, pick up your belongings and then get to my office." Stunned for a moment, neither boy moved until the headmaster gave some verbal encouragement with a very loud and stern "NOW!"

Jumping slightly, Severus took his wand out of his sleeve and handing it to the headmaster, he turned towards the bench to grab his charms text. Grabbing Michaels' books as well, since he had placed them on the bench just as their argument started, Severus turned to see Michaels handing his wand to the headmaster. Handing the small stack of books to Michaels, he received another glare before he turned and started towards the headmaster's office, dread in every step. He sensed rather than saw Michaels slightly behind him and knew the headmaster wasn't too far behind, ready to offer "encouragement" should either of them falter.

After what seemed like a year, the group finally reached the outer office area.

Both boys flushed a bit in embarrassment as the secretary, a Mrs Kealy, looked up at their approach, raising her eyebrows in surprise as she took in their appearance and the obviously angry headmaster that was coming up behind the two.

"Mrs Kealy," the Headmaster said, trying to maintain some semblance of a polite tone with his secretary," please notify Master Troyan and have him come to my office immediately."

"Yes Sir," she replied, giving the two boys a sympathetic look, "right away."

With a steely look at the two boys, the headmaster opened the door to his office and ordered sternly, "inside."

Severus swallowed hard and somehow managed to make his legs move. Michaels was right behind him and once they got inside, the headmaster closed the door sharply, just short of a slam.

Michaels had stomped over to one of the chairs that sat in front of the headmaster's desk and threw himself into it with a huff, crossing his arms across his chest. Severus fought the urge to roll his eyes at the other student's stupidity. The headmaster had not given his permission to either of them to sit and Severus knew better than to do anything without permission or orders when he was in trouble and facing an angry adult.

The headmaster stalked to the other side of the desk and looking at Michaels, growled, "Mr Michaels I did not give you leave to sit; on your feet and both of you front and center of my desk."

Unable to help himself, Severus gave Michaels a smug look even as he moved a few steps towards the headmaster's desk. Unfortunately, the headmaster caught the look.

"Mr Snape, I would suggest, very strongly, that you wipe that look off your face and I do mean right now."

Flushing, Severus schooled his features and focused his eyes on the ornately carved dragon paperweight that sat near the center of the desk. As the silence dragged on, Severus risked glancing up at the headmaster only to find the man staring at the both of them as though they were irritating bugs he wanted to squash. Flushing again, Severus once again dropped his eyes to the paperweight. The tension was palpable and both boys were starting to fidget. Both of them jumped at the loud knock on the door.

Smirking, the headmaster called out the order to enter. The door opened and Master Troyan, one of the potions masters and also the head of the unapprenticed house where Severus and Michaels were both currently housed, entered the office.

"You wished to see me Headmaster?" he questioned, as he took in the sight of the two boys and the felt the tension in the office.

"Master Troyan," the headmaster began, "I believe these two gentlemen belong to you. Imagine my surprise when I found them brawling in the center courtyard garden like common muggles, swearing and effectively destroying a good section of the garden."

The headmaster's voice had risen to a near shout by the end of the recitation of the boys sins and Troyan noticed the boys were wincing slightly.

"Look at me, both of you," he ordered firmly.

Once the two boys had turned around and were looking at him, he moved a couple of steps forward, towering over them and forcing them to crane their necks back to keep eye contact.

"Explain," he ordered sternly. Both boys opened their mouths at the same time but were stopped when Master Troyan held up his hand. "One at a time, Mr Michaels you start."

"Snape," Michaels spat, "deliberately tripped me. When I started yelling at him, he pushed me down. I was just defending myself."

Master Troyan heard Severus utter a slight gasp and could see that Severus was trying to hold on to this temper; obviously he didn't agree with Michaels' statement.

"Mr Snape, what about you."

"I was reading on the bench. I was getting stiff and didn't notice anyone approaching. I stretched out my leg and accidentally tripped Michaels." He was interrupted by Michaels' shouted "liar, you tripped me deliberately."

"Silence Mr Michaels," Troyan snapped. Satisfied Michaels was going to remain quiet, he motioned to Severus to continue.

"I went to pick up his books for him and was about to apologize for tripping him when he started yelling at me. When I tried to apologize, he brought his wand in front and it was in my face. I was startled. I just reacted and shoved him away with my hands, but I shoved too hard and he fell into the bushes."

"Did he use his wand in any way against you?" Master Troyan questioned.

"No Sir," Severus answered. Master Troyan nodded for him to continue.

"He dropped his wand and came at me. I wasn't quite ready and his force caused us to move several feet back and we fell into the bushes on the other side of the garden. Once the fight got started, I guess we weren't paying too much attention to anything else. We didn't stop fighting until Headmaster Kincaid used a shield charm to shove us apart," Severus finished, flushing again in embarrassment.

Troyan observed the two silently for a moment. Severus had calmed somewhat and was looking directly at Master Troyan while Michaels was still looking angry and was looking anywhere but at him.

"Mr Michaels, do you have anything to add?"

"Nah, it was just like he said," Michaels said. Master Troyan gritted his teeth at the disrespectful response.

"Mr Michaels, you would do well to show some respect right now. I ask again, do you have anything to add?"

Michaels looked startled for a moment but answered with a grudging "no.....Sir."

Master Troyan looked at the headmaster, surprised to note the headmaster was doing his best to hide a smile.

"Headmaster, do you want to issue punishment or should I?" he asked.

The boys, still facing away from the headmaster, didn't see the headmaster's amused expression. Taking on a sterner tone, the headmaster saw the two shiver slightly as he said;

"Normally I would leave this in your more than capable hands Master Troyan, but this time, I think I will handle things. Boys, face me," he ordered.

Once again, the two turned back to face the headmaster, eyes firmly fixed once again on the paperweight.

"Two weeks gentlemen," the headmaster repeated, "two weeks. We know that the first month or so is difficult for new students. The change from regular school to the academy atmosphere can be overwhelming. Add in the fact that students from all over the world may be coming, makes things difficult as students learn to adjust to each other's cultures and ways of doing things. We usually don't see any trouble for a month or so, but the two of you have just broken every record ever set. Normally, the first instance of this type of incident is dealt with by the issuance of a very strong warning, however, I am inclined, this time, to modify that practice slightly," he paused here for a moment, watching the two boys swallow hard.

"You are both confined to your rooms for the weekend starting immediately. That means your room, and not the sitting area. From 8 am - 3 pm every day over the weekend, you two will clean and replant that part of the garden you destroyed. I don't want to see any evidence of your brawling when I return on Monday." Stopping for a moment, the headmaster looked at the two boys and making sure he still had their full attention, he went on.

"Following this weekend, you are both restricted to the main campus for a period of 2 weeks. This means you may have access to all the class buildings, mess hall, library and the area directly in or around your house. Anything else is out-of-bounds while you are on restriction. In addition, I want 1000 lines from you both," Severus winced and he heard Michaels let out a low groan.

"I will give what is to be copied to Master Troyan in a few minutes. The assignment is to be on my desk no later than 6 am on Monday morning. If I am not here, you may leave them with Mrs Kealy. Needless to say boys, those lines had better be on time and neatly written. If they aren't, I will double the number and hand you back the assignment to start again."

Severus and Michaels watched as the headmaster picked their wands up from his desk where he had laid them, and held them out to Master Troyan. As Master Troyan took the wands, the headmaster addressed the boys again.

"Master Troyan will hold on to your wands until Monday morning to make sure your gardening and writing is done without magical help."

"Look at me gentlemen," the headmaster ordered.

When the boys were looking at him, their faces pale, he went on.

"This is your one free pass gentlemen. Serve your punishment with no further trouble and this incident will not go into your permanent records. I would strongly suggest you do not make me regret that decision, " he finished sternly. "Any questions?"

"No Sir, Severus answered quietly, "thank you Sir."

"Mr Michaels?"

"No questions here."

Master Troyan almost throttled Michaels right there for his continued disrespect, but at a quick look from the headmaster, he stopped. Troyan decided he would deal with Michaels' lack of respect back at the house.

"Fine," the headmaster said, "to your quarters then, both of you. I will give Master Troyan your writing assignment.

_Back to the present...._

Severus was startled out of his thoughts by a knock at the door. Looking at the clock, he noted the time was 3:29. At Master Troyan's order to enter, the door opened and Severus got his first look at Katherine Marks.


	8. Meeting the Protege Part II

_Author's Notes: Here it is, the anticipated chapter; Severus meets his new apprentice and realizes he may have a problem on his hands. Severus is going to have a rather lengthy flashback memory to his first couple of weeks at the academy and this memory will give a little hint as to why Severus so despises Director Michaels. _

_As a heads-up, there will probably be several chapters where I cut over to Harry and the work he is doing to help Severus. I will preface those sections accordingly so it isn't such a dramatic change in scene._

_Due to the length of the flashback, this is going to be a double post but the same chapter._

_**CONTENT WARNING: CP And mild to moderate language in this chapter.**_

Chapter 7: Meeting the Protégé Part II

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story_.

_3:29 PM pm_

Severus had been thinking about the first time he had been in the headmaster's office here at the academy when there was a knock at the door. Answering master Troyan;s order to enter, the door opened and Severus got his first look at Katherine Marks. Standing when she entered the room, he watched her walk towards Master Troyan's desk.

"Ms Marks," the Master Troyan greeted her lightly, "thank you for coming so promptly. I believe you already know my visitor, Potions Master Severus Snape?" Troyan questioned, waiting for the girl's reaction. He didn't have to wait long. She paled but quickly recovered, looking towards Severus.

About 5'6, she was a pretty girl. Her eyes were a dark brown, and above that, she had long, light brown hair that fell in a soft wave to her waist She was dressed in the standard student uniform for the apprentices. A white shirt worn under the long black inner robe over which the standard student robe was worn. The uniform was designed to adjust its weight according to the outside temperature in order to keep the students comfortable and were also self sizing, so Severus guessed the robes had adjusted to the smaller stature when she first put them on after her transformation.

I'm sorry Headmaster Troyan I don't think I have had the pleasure of meeting Master Snape." Turning towards Severus she said politely, "Master Snape, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Raising his brow in his typical Snape manner, Severus replied. "My pleasure Ms Marks."

Severus sat back down and watched.

"Ms Marks, I believe there are some things we need to discuss. First, I want you to identify yourself so there is no mistake."

"Headmaster," Ms Marks started, "I realize this is a little awkward. I am Katherine Marks. I applied to the academy as my sister, Sienna Marks as I wanted so badly to study here but knew I couldn't apply until I turned 17; I didn't want to wait. I used the Polyuice tablets to hide my true identity. "

Master Troyan picked up her file and opened it pointedly. Taking out the reference letter from Severus, he handed the piece of parchment to Katherine.

"Would you care to explain this?" he said, his voice growing stern.

Katherine took the letter and if possible, paled even further. Severus watched with an almost amused look on his face, but was able to school his features back to the serious look he had previously before she turned to him before turning back towards Master Troyan. Both Severus and Troyan could see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to come up with a good explanation.

"I would suggest the truth young lady," Master Troyan growled.

"Why the hell should I explain. You and Master Snape have obviously made up your minds already. The fact that the letter is a forgery, yes, I admit it, obviously hasn't escaped your notice," she snapped.

Both men were stunned at her sudden change from being polite to being so defensive; It was then that Severus remembered Master McCuithbert's words about her reaction to being reprimanded.

"Watch your tone young lady," Master Troyan snapped.

Flushing, Katherine looked away and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, but didn't apologize, or in any other way acknowledge, the stern reprimand.

"Take a seat Ms Marks and start at the beginning. We want to hear it all," Master Troyan continued.

"Why does Master Snape have to be here, he doesn't have anything to do with this," she said, her tone a little more moderated but still combative.

"Since you forged a reference letter from him, this has everything to do with him. Now start talking."

Katherine started:

"My parents and the rest of my family, my older sister, Sienna and my younger brother Christopher, are muggles. I started doing accidental magic at about age 4 but no one had any idea what was happening. I went to a regular muggle school without ever knowing that what I was doing was magic. When I was 12, I was walking home from school when I dropped a book, only, it didn't hit the ground. It hung in mid-air in front of me and as I grabbed it, that was when Master Marconi approached me. He was kind enough as he asked me a bunch of questions. For some reason, I wasn't afraid of him even though I had no idea who he was." she stopped here and looked at Master Troyan.

"Go on," he said lightly.

"To keep the long winded version a little short, he more or less explained to me that what I was doing was magic, and that I was a witch. He said that he needed to speak with my parents but that I shouldn't worry, that what I was doing was completely normal. Not knowing why, I led him to the house.," she took a breath and continued, her voice starting to shake a little Severus noted.

"My parents flipped out. It wasn't that they were extremely happy, almost the direct opposite. They were afraid.....of me," her voice wavered. Taking another deep breath, she went on. "Let's just say my parents handed me over to Master Marconi with very little thought and he took me out to his place. After my parents basically threw me out, I petitioned the muggle courts for emancipation and after a few court battles, it was granted just after I turned 13."

"What is this emancipation?" Master Troyan asked.

"Emancipation in this sense means that I am legally an adult in the eyes of the muggles. I am allowed to make my own decisions with regards to money or anything else, as any adult would, and am not required to attend school or be under the thumb of a guardian. In short, I function in society much as you or Master Snape would as adults."

"The only problem was that the emancipation of a minor is not recognized in the magical community. I was happy with Master Marconi. He taught me a lot about magic and he was pleased with my progress. I used his books to learn advanced spells and it was through one of his potions texts that I modified the Polyjuice formula. Somehow, Master Marconi's wand fit my magic and I was able to spellcast quite easily. When Master Marconi was killed in the fire just before I turned 14, however, I knew I had a problem. I had more or less disappeared from muggle society for over a year. I had no job even though I had money set aside, I knew finding a job at 14 was going to be hard. I knew Master Marconi had both attended and taught at the academy; we had talked of it before and he had always pressed for me to consider coming to the academy to further my potions study. Knowing I couldn't attend before I turned 17, I set out to falsify the application using my sister's information, figuring once I was here, no one would really know it was me instead. The Polyjuice tablets I had stored would last me for a while and hell, being at the academy, I could always brew more.," she paused again.

"The application itself wasn't difficult but I knew the reference letters might be an issue. I had writings from Master Marconi and I just used his wording when I wrote the letter. I used his wand to disguise my writing as his," she turned to Severus.

"Master Snape, you may not remember me but I was at the potions conference in Indiana. If you remember, the paper you had submitted was lost. When you got to the conference, you re-wrote the paper by hand. I, uhm, had stolen the printed paper and I knew from your reputation that you would do everything you could to resubmit it. When the conference was over, I just substituted the printed paper back and took your hand-written copy. Using the same technique I used for Master Marconi's letter, I wrote the reference letter."

Severus just stared, stunned at her audacity. For once, he was at a loss for words. Since he couldn't think of anything to say, he just glared at her with a stern look. Expecting an apology or some acknowledgement of her wrong doing, he was further aggravated when she simply turned back to Master Troyan.

"Since I didn't know any other Potions Masters, the only one I could think of was Master Michaels, the head of the American Directorate of Magic. I sent him a letter requesting an audience to speak to him about my situation. Technically, by magic standards, I was underage and subject to requiring a guardian. I had Master Marconi's wand with me and I forced Master Michaels to write the reference letter. When he was done, I obliviated his memory and substituted one where we had simply talked."

"How is it you were able to obliviate him without his guard knowing?" Troyan asked.

Katherine snorted. "His guard was an idiot. He took one look at the poor, pitiful 14-year old that showed up and made up his mind I was no threat. He let me through the door and never came back in. When I left, he just watched me walk away and never made a move to check on Master Michaels."

"After I had the letters, it was just a matter of submitting everything and waiting. Just about the time I got word of the tentative acceptance pending the entrance exam, there was a fire at my parents' house. Everyone died as for some reason, they couldn't get out. I had plenty of money stored, as my parents had at least given me my trust fund so I flew out here, about a month before the date of the exam, as Sienna Marks, and rented a small flat with a couple of other people. No one had any idea that I was someone other than my sister," she sighed.

"Your scores on the entrance exam were quite high, yet, you have admitted that much of your magic was taught using outdated texts. While I am sure Master Marconi was very helpful, the information you had access to would have been outdated in regards to what was on the exam."

Katherine hesitated, looking at Severus and then back to Master Troyan. "I know. One of the newer students was in the pub in the town I was living in. When I realized who he was, and where he was going to school,. I , uh, used legilimency to pull out his memory of the exam. I used that memory to study just enough to get the necessary scores that would guarantee my acceptance," she stopped here, cringing slightly at Master Troyans voice, which had gone very stern. Even Severus sat up a little straighter in his chair. He had heard that tone before and it didn't bode well.

"Are you telling me young lady that you not only pulled a memory, without the person's knowledge I might add, but you used that to cheat on the entrance exam?"

"I thought I just said that," she shot back. Severus' palms started to itch.

"Besides," she said bitingly, "I didn't exactly cheat. I knew the potions answers, that part was easy, as was the herbology section. I answered those with my own knowledge. I just did well enough on the other sections to get accepted. I could have gotten a perfect score but didn't think it was necessary."

"Once I got here, the rest you know."

She stopped here and looked at Master Troyan.

"So what happens now," she asked with a sneer. "You throw me out?"

Once again, Master Troyan's temper shot up.

He looked directly at Katherine, his tone maintaining the stern tone but now, it also had a definite edge that had Katherine squirming.

"Actually Katherine, I already knew a lot of the story. When it was discovered you were not your sister, we did some investigating before you were released from the hospital wing. As such, some preliminary plans were made."

Turning to Severus, he said:

"Master Snape, if you would join us up here, I think it is time to tell Ms Marks what is going to happen."

"Certainly Headmaster," Severus said, taking the seat next to Katherine but slightly angled so he was looking at her.

Master Troyan looked at Katherine and continued.

"I have been in contact with both the board of the academy and the heads of the other academies and universities in Europe and all are agreed. There are two options here we are going to offer you.

Option 1 is that you are formally expelled from the academy and would be restricted form applying to or attending any academy or university for advanced magic in Europe for a period of ten years."

Katherine gasped but Master Troyan didn't hesitate. He went on.

"Option 2 is that you willingly accept punishment from the academy, me specifically and agree to apprentice to an outside Potions Master of my choosing. In choosing option 2, your official record would be noted as under temporary suspension due to personal reasons, and this would allow you to automatically return to the academy when you come of age. No record of your, deceit, would be present."

Katherine gritted her teeth as she bit out.

"And who, pray tell, would you choose as my new potions master?"

Master Troyan looked at Severus, and Katherine, following his gaze, noticed the satisfied smirk on Severus' face.

"No fucking way," she yelled, as she jumped up, backing away. "Forget it."

"Watch your language young lady," Severus said sternly, unable to contain himself any longer. "Either take your seat or I will help you."

Katherine looked between the two for a moment and hesitating just long enough to make it look like it was her choice to sit down again and not because she was following Severus' instructions, she sat back down.

"Why," she said simply, looking at Severus.

"I am the resident Potions Master and Potions Professor at a school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. In the muggle world, it would be similar to junior high school and high school level instruction. Students attend from the age 11 and normally leave Hogwarts at 17 or 18 depending on their month of birth. The instruction consists of all things magical; Charms, Transfigurations, History, Arithmancy, Defense and others, including of course, Potions and Herbology. Given the fact that you are behind, by academy standards, in several of these areas, attending classes at Hogwarts would allow you to study these areas so when you re-enter the academy, you will be prepared. As my apprentice, you would also get advanced instruction in potions and eventually, may even start to teach some of the lower levels. " Severus stopped for a moment as he noticed Katherine's interest growing.

"Don't get me wrong Katherine. You have a lot to make up for and I would be watching you very closely. You have shown yourself to be untrustworthy, even manipulative and a liar, and that is not something that is going to be repaired easily," Severus said firmly.

"There is also the issue that you are underage. As you pointed out, in the magical community, that would require that you have a guardian. As my apprentice, that duty would fall to me. This is important as it changes the Master/Apprentice articles slightly."

Turning back to Master Troyan, she asked, perhaps a little hesitantly.

"What about the punishment here?" she asked, coloring a bit.

The look on Master Troyan's face was a little frightening and Katherine's heart dropped as he spoke.

"Look at it from my standpoint young lady. You falsified an application to the academy, lying and assaulting people to get the required documents. You cheated on the entrance exam and have been lying the entire time you were here. To say I am not happy is an understatement and I am not inclined to be lenient."

Stopping here, he opened a drawer in his desk and took out an object and laid it on the desk in Katherine's full view. Her stomach plummeted as she saw what looked like a large leather paddle, about 12 inches in length and very stiff.

Severus stiffened when he saw the paddle. He had been on the receiving end of that paddle a few times in his apprenticeship with Master Troyan, and he well remembered its ferocious sting.

Unable to take her eyes away from the paddle, she state;.

"You can't," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "It's not allowed."

"Actually," Master Troyan went on," it is allowed in extreme circumstances. The headmaster has the right to use corporal punishment if he or she deems it necessary or conducive to modified behavior. The one caveat is it can only be done with the student's agreement. It is your choice Katherine. You can take 15 with the paddle, gain an apprenticeship, a guardian who would take good care of you and go to school, or, you can go back the states and try to find your own way. If you choose the latter, you are effectively gong to deny yourself any chance to continue with your potions study and personally, from what I have observed, your potential is unlimited. The magical community would suffer a great loss if you were to choose not to continue."

Katherine had bowed her head a bit as Master Troyan spoke, but now she looked up, a tear making its way down her pale cheek. Unable to speak, she just nodded.

Taking out a piece of parchment, Master Troyan took a quill and pointing at tapping it with is wand, then said the words "forensus lacuna." The quill hovered over the parchment. Katherine watched it start to write as Master Troyan spoke.

"Katherine Marks, having been found guilty of willfully submitting a false application to the academy, you are hereby sentence to 15 stroked of the leather paddle, to be administered by me as the headmaster of the Kepler Academy of Advanced Magic. In compliance with the bylaws as set forth by the executive board for the Academy, you are required to give your agreement to the punishment. Do you so give your agreement?" If so, answer I give my full agreement or No, I do not accept the sentence."

Katherine hesitated for just a second before answering, as she attempted to get her vocal cords working again. Once she had herself relatively composed, she answered "I give my full agreement."

The quill completed the sentence and then drew three lines. Under those lines, three names appeared. Headmaster Troyan cancelled the recording spell and using the same quill, signed the agreement on the line labeled with his name. Turning the parchment and holding out the quill, Katherine took the quill and signed her name on the line labeled with her name. Master Troyan handed the quill to Severus, and said "will you sign as witness?"

Severus nodded and signed his name to the line that was labeled witness.

With a tap of his wand, the parchment rolled, sealed, and disappeared and Master Troyan turned back to Katherine.

"The parchment will remain on magical file but will not otherwise be accessed unless an inquiry is made. Once you depart the campus with Master Snape, the parchment will automatically destroy itself so you have no fear of it being discovered."

Katherine was looking down at her hands and just nodded. Severus could see her hands shaking and he felt a little sorry for her.

"Stand up," Master Troyan said to Katherine, his voice oddly gentle.

Master Troyan moved the chair out of the way and clearing the top of his desk with a tap of his wand, he said, "over my desk and lie flat; lift your robes."

Her attitude gone, Katherine miserably did as she was told, blushing as she lifted her robes to her waist and bent over the desk. Lying flat, she wasn't quite able to grip the other side of the desk and settled for folding her arms under her chest.

Severus stepped to the far corner of the room behind Master Troyan's desk, turning his back to allow Katherine what little privacy she had left. He looked out the tall glass windows and waited.

Master Troyan picked up the paddle and moved into position behind Katherine. "OK Katherine, let's get this over with," Master Troyan said gently, laying his free hand gently on her shoulder for second. I am going to do this in three sets of five and give you a short rest in between each set. You need to hold as still as possible; you don't want to make this any worse than it has to be. Do you understand?"

"Yes Headmaster," she replied sadly. She felt his hand leave her back and felt bereft. No, she wasn't bereft, she was flat out scared.

"First set." he said and with only that short warning, he landed the paddle sharply on her barely clothed bottom five times, spreading each stroke so the five covered her from the crest of her bottom all the way down to where her thighs began. Too shocked at the pain of the strokes, Katherine was unable to voice her distress until the last of the first five had landed. With a gasping breath she started crying but didn't otherwise make any noise. Severus winced in sympathy. Even at 17, he had been unable to keep the tears at bay with those first five strokes; Master Troyan was quite accomplished at this. By applying the first five quickly and with strength, it broke down any resistance in the one being punished.

Patting her shoulder gently for a second, Master Troyan announced, "second set."

Severus knew this next set would be harder to take. If Master Troyan followed his normal pattern, these would be just as hard as the first five, but administered much slower.

Sure enough, he heard the first stroke land and Katherine, unable to contain it, cried out.

"This young lady," Master Troyan said sternly as he landed the second stroke, "is what happens," he laid the third stroke and had to put his hand on Katherine's back to hold her in place, she was nearly hysterical, "when you lie and cheat," he laid the fourth stroke and Katherine collapsed, sobbing wildly, "to those who have your trust," he finished saying, as he laid the final stroke.

Leaving his hand on the sobbing girl's back, Master Troyan looked at Severus and shook his head. He didn't want to do this but knew it had to be finished. He looked down at Katherine and decided to give her a slightly longer break. He gently rubbed her back for a minute, allowing her to calm a little before he moved into position to complete the punishment. Knowing the paddle, Master Troyan knew 15 strokes would do little damage beyond a lingering sting and maybe some soreness over the next day or so. It was a very difficult punishment to take but it was actually less harsh than using a belt or hairbrush.

"Last set Katherine, almost done," he said kindly. Katherine nodded and waited.

Master Troyan laid the last five quickly across the area where her bottom met her thighs, guaranteeing she would feel this every time she sat down over the next day or so. Though not as hard as the first ten, Katherine all but screamed as each one landed, due to the fact the skin was already so sore. When it was over, she collapsed on the desk again and just sobbed.

Masater Troyan laid the paddle back down on the desk and then once again started to rub Katherine's back, letting her cry everything out. Once she started to calm a little, he helped her to stand and she yelped as the seemingly rough fabric of her robes scraped across her sore bottom. Holding her arm for a second to make sure she was steady, he said "look at me Katherine."

She looked at him immediately through red, puffy eyes, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. Regarding her kindly, he gave in to his heart and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug. She buried her face in his chest and just sobbed, the fear and worry washed out with her tears. Slowly, her crying eased and she was able to step back, accepting the handkerchief he held out to her. Wiping her eyes, she said softly, "I'm sorry Headmaster Troyan, so sorry."

"Master Troyan smiled down at her. Accepted, and it's over Katherine. Everything is going to be fine."

************************************************************************************************

forensus lacuna means "legal words"


	9. Breaking the Ice

_Author's note: This particular chapter takes place in three different locations; each one labeled appropriately. As the title indicates, this is the start of the relationship between Snape and Katherine._

Chapter 8: Breaking the Ice

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story_.

Severus had been watching the interaction between Master Troyan and Katherine, as Katherine came to terms with what had just happened. He knew from his own experience that Troyan had a kind heart. While he could go from happy and kind to hard and stern in a heartbeat, he was just as quick to forgive.

When Severus saw Katherine step back, he moved away from his position at the window and made his way over to where Katherine and Master Troyan were standing. Katherine stiffened a little as he came up, not in fear, but embarrassment as she realized he had heard the whole thing. Severus watched as Katherine's face colored, but he kept his features blank as he waited. Knowing students as he did, he knew what was coming and he wasn't disappointed.

Katherine raised her eyes to face the potions master. Severus noticed that while her tears had ceased, she was still trembling slightly. "Master Snape," she said formally, but sincerely, "I am sorry for using you in my deception. It was never meant as disrespect to you, quite the opposite actually," she added impudently.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Try not to honor me so again young lady."

Master Troyan chuckled a little and all three occupants of the room started relaxing a bit as the tense atmosphere eased. Master Troyan spoke up.

"Unfortunately, we are not completely finished here. Katherine, there is the matter of the apprenticeship and guardianship. Master Snape has agreed to take on your apprenticeship and to act as your guardian until such a time as you are of age. Before I can allow you to depart the campus, you need to sign the Master/Apprentice articles of contract which will mark your agreement to the apprenticeship and your acceptance of Master Snape's guardianship. Once signed, those articles are binding and can only be broken either under an extreme circumstance or by agreement from both of the parties involved."

Master Troyan walked over to what appeared to be a blank wall. Turning to face the two, he said with a grin "forget what you are about to see...it's a secret," he winked. Turning back to the wall, he moved his wand in a complicated pattern while muttering low, and at the end of the pattern, he tapped a knot in the wood covered wall and a drawer appeared and opened. Master Troyan pulled out several pages of parchment and tapped the drawer. The drawer closed and melted seamlessly back into the wall. He turned to Katherine and Severus, laughing at the look on Severus' face. Master Troyan shrugged. "It's better than those ugly filing cabinets the muggles use," he said.

Addressing Katherine for the moment, Master Troyan held up the sheets in his hand. "These are the normal Master/Apprenticeship articles you would have signed upon your formal apprenticeship here at the academy. However, I have taken the liberty of adding in the standard statement of guardianship."

Both you and Master Snape need to sit down together and go over the articles to make sure there is full understanding on both sides as to what the apprenticeship, and the guardianship entails. You may make any desired and agreed upon changes directly on the parchment and when the agreement is complete and you both agree, I will create a clean copy. Upon signature and the formal oath of acceptance, you will then be free to leave with Master Snape."

Master Troyan glanced at the clock.

"It is 4:30; dinner is served at 6. Katherine, I need you to return to your quarters and pack your belongings; I am going to move you in to the room next to where Master Snape is staying. When you are done packing, just tap each bag and say 'permoveo tenor.' The bags will automatically be transported to the correct room. Since the student galley is not going to be conducive to conversation, I will arrange for a private dinner to be brought to Master Snape's quarters at 6 pm. Is this agreeable with you Severus?" he asked, dropping the formality.

"That is fine Headmaster, thank you," Severus replied.

"Katherine?" Master Troyan questioned.

She almost answered with a curt 'do I have a choice,' but, looking at the two men, she decided against animosity for now. "That is fine Headmaster, thank you," she said, mimicking Severus' response. She caught the look Severus gave her as he was trying to determine if the same phrase was just being polite or if she was mocking him. She looked directly at him and he decided that she wasn't being disrespectful, this time.

"OK Katherine, you may go and get packed. I need to speak with Master Snape for a minute just to establish some deadlines," Troyan told her. "Be sure to be back to his quarters, the senior visiting staff quarters, by 6. Is that clear?" he asked.

"Yes Headmaster," she returned calmly.

"On your way then."

Master Troyan and Severus watched her leave and when the door closed behind her, Master Troyan handed Severus the articles of apprenticeship.

"Severus, how much time do you need to go through the articles? Severus didn't answer immediately as he flipped through the 5 pages, considering. "Not long I imagine Master. I remember these from my own time here; the wording hasn't changed any. I do want to modify the guardianship terms a bit but otherwise, I don't think there is going to be a lot of disagreement. Early tomorrow afternoon should be sufficient."

"Good," Master Troyan responded. "Shall we meet back here at say, 1 PM tomorrow afternoon then? If you wish, that will give you time to work over the articles, talk with Katherine about any other concerns and maybe still have time to get you back to Hogwarts for dinner," he grinned.

"1 pm it is Master. I don't see a problem with that. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to talk with Mrs Kealy for a moment and then return to my quarters. May I borrow one of the post owls? I need to send a message to Headmaster Dumbledore and let him know a student is coming."

"Certainly. You know where the owlery is. Feel free."

"By your leave Master," Severus said. At Master Troyan's nod, Severus turned and walked out of the office.

_Kepler Academy 5:50 pm_

Severus sent a letter to Albus via one of the school post owls and he could only hope that Albus would receive the letter tonight. Oh well, he thought, if he doesn't, he will know when we arrive tomorrow, he thought with a wry grin. He had added a quick note to Harry within the same envelope but that note wasn't as urgent as the one to Albus. A delivery delay there would not be an issue.

Following the meeting with Master Troyan and Katherine, he had come back to his room and had changed out of his formal potions master attire, preferring the comfort of a comfortable pair of trousers and a white shirt. He had debated remaining in his formal robes but even he realized Katherine hadn't had the best afternoon. Just this once, he decided to go with a less formal pose.

At the knock on the door, he made his way over, opening it to find a nervous looking Katherine waiting.

"Good evening Ms Marks," he said, stepping back to allow her entrance. He noticed that she had also changed out of the formal student robes and was wearing a pair of dark blue slacks with a long sleeved, conservative, light blue blouse, her hair in a french braid that trailed down her back.

"Master Snape," she murmured as she stepped past him. Standing in the middle of the room, Katherine was twisting her hands nervously, unsure of herself.

She glanced up as Severus stepped in front of her, following his hand as he gestured to the table she had not yet noticed set-up off to the side of the room.

"Please sit down Ms Marks. I have been informed that dinner will arrive shortly," he said.

Katherine hesitated, glancing at the lightly padded chairs. Katherine bit her lip slightly. Her backside was still feeling the effects from that afternoon's encounter with headmaster Troyan's paddle and the thought of sitting for a long dinner, and probably even longer conversation, wasn't pleasant.

Noticing her hesitation, something seemed to click in Severus' memory and he cast a cushioning charm on the nearest seat. He watched as Katherine flushed, but accepted her grateful nod, as she made her way to the table. Glancing at the master/apprentice articles he had been perusing and had laid on the low coffee table in front of the couch, he decided to leave them there until he and Katherine had eaten. No reason to rush into things just yet. He and Katherine had only just barely met and he knew she was feeling confused and probably a little scared. Normally, he wouldn't care, but, the past 7 years had changed Severus and he wasn't as likely to come across as the "git" many of his former students had known.

Just as they were seating themselves, several small trays appeared on the table. The scent of roast beef with vegetables and mashed potatoes wafted up, causing Severus' stomach to growl in anticipation. Now coloring himself, he smiled wryly at Katherine, who offered back a tentative smile of her own.

Once they had gotten their plates filled, Severus and Katherine ate in near silence. This gave Severus a chance to observe the girl that was not only to become his apprentice, but also his ward. She ate slowly, using good table manners with which even Severus could not find fault. He did notice as well that though she was eating, she wasn't eating much, taking a forkful every now and again but for the most part, just pushing the food around on her plate.

"Would you care for something else? I can have the house elves prepare something different," he said, with a note of disapproval in his tone clearly evident.

"What," she glanced up, clearly surprised he had spoken, then suddenly realizing what he had said she dropped her eyes back to her plate "oh, no, no thank you, this is fine. I guess I'm just not hungry."

"Ms Marks, Katherine, look at me please," Severus said firmly.

When Katherine glanced up, Severus couldn't help but notice that she was pale and looked miserable. He still wasn't the best at this comforting stuff but for the sake of returning to Hogwarts tomorrow, he would at least try to make nice.

"I know you are feeling, unsure, right now," he said. "There are going to be a lot of things happening very quickly and you may find it difficult to cope, but you have no reason to be frightened, nothing bad is going to happen to you. You have more say in things than you think and I am not going to pounce on you if you object to something as long as you do so politely and with respect. We are going to talk about the articles, the guardianship and your transfer to Hogwarts so before we go back to Hogwarts, you will know exactly what is expected of you; there won't be any surprises. Do you understand?"

Katherine could barely speak around the lump in her throat. With just four short sentences, Master Snape had managed to hit on every problem she had been worried about. She was feeling overwhelmed as everything was happening so fast, and as he said, she was having a problem trying to put everything into perspective.

"Thanks Master Snape, I'm OK," she returned, once she was sure her voice would be steady.

Severus nodded, "Good. Now eat up so Headmaster Troyan won't accuse me of starving you," he said.

She nodded and Severus gritted his teeth. He would break her of that irritating habit of not answering verbally later, he decided, letting her be for now.

After turning her attention to her plate for a few minutes, she queried.

"Master Snape," he heard, "Can you tell me about Hogwarts?"

While he would have preferred to wait until after the meal to have a conversation, he never the less accommodated her question.

"Hogwarts is based in northern Scotland. During the school term, which runs from the 1st of September through the 30th of June, there are about 200 students and 16 staff members, consisting of both instructors and support staff, that live at the castle. During the summer holidays, the staff takes turns spending a few days at the castle just for administrative duties. The exact date that Hogwarts was actually established is a mystery. It has been determined that based on the age of the founders, Hogwarts is over 1000 years old. The building is an old castle that has its own magical identity and when actively threatened or told to do so, can secure itself against attack without help from its inhabitants."

Seeing her interest, he went on.

"There were four founders, Godric Gryiffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin, witches and wizards that were very powerful in that age. Their combined idea was to create a place where all magical children, including purebloods and muggle-born, could learn magic in a safe and secure atmosphere. When the children first arrive at the age of 11, they are sorted into one of four houses, houses named after the founders. These aren't free standing houses as you might imagine, but dormitory like areas that reside in different areas inside the castle. The student's house acts as a family, with those students taking classes together, living together eating together and offering each other support and companionship. Each house has a head-of-house that acts 'in loco parentis', keeping an eye on students and maintaining order within the house. I am head of Slytherin House and have been for over 20 years. For the most part, there is friendly competition between the houses, but, problems do brew as might be expected when there are 200 students between the ages of 11 and 17, running around in the same place for 10 months out of the year. Dissent between the houses does occur."

"Am I going to be, what is it you said, sorted?" she asked.

Severus considered this for a moment before answering. "I think eventually you will be sorted, however, as may ward and apprentice there may be a slightly different process. Since you are coming to Hogwarts after the term has started and there is no verifiable record of what training you have received, you will need to be tested to see where you fall in the class levels.. It would, of course, be preferable to place you at least at age level, which would be fourth year, however, I know you are behind in several areas but well ahead in others. For the meantime, you will probably be housed in a room in my private quarters until your year level is determined. We will have to see when we get back."

Katherine nodded in understanding and since Severus hadn't asked an actual question, he decided to let it go, again.

It was 7:30 before they both finished eating and Severus knew he couldn't put off the upcoming conversation. Standing up, he went to retrieve the article papers.

When he got back to the table, he grabbed his chair and placed it at the side of the table. Sitting down, he placed the articles in front of Katherine.

"These are the Master/Apprentice articles that headmaster Troyan handed me. As he indicated, we need to read through them and make any agreed changes. These are not complicated. By signing these papers, you agree to be my apprentice until we agree your apprenticeship is ended. I took the liberty of making one change to reflect your acceptance at the academy. If you wish to attend the academy once you come of age, our Master/Apprentice relationship would end to free you to apprentice, as required, to a master here at the academy. The articles go in to your expected behavior and submission to my teachings, and define my role as your master including my required care of you as my apprentice as well as my duties to teach you the potions discipline. I am duty and honor bound by the articles to teach you everything you need to be ablet o function as a full fledged potions master. While it is the right of the master to punish poor or destructive behavior, you are protected from abusive actions, including the use of curses, in order to make you comply. If such actions are reported, the articles could be broken by legal actions. The guardianship clause expands the articles slightly. You will remain under guardianship until you come of age at 17 and will fall to my jurisdiction in all manners of behavior and it requires that I take full monetary responsibility for your needs. When you come of age, it will be your decision as to whether the articles fall back to a simple Master/Apprentice relationship, or if you wish the guardianship to continue," he paused here a moment to make sure he still had Katherine's attention.

"I want you to take these papers to your room tonight and read through them, thoroughly. Write down any questions you may have and any changes you wish to propose; do not make any changes to the parchment itself as yet. After breakfast tomorrow morning, we will sit down again and talk through any concerns you may have and make any agreed changes. We have the entire morning, as preparing a clean copy of the articles will only take a moment. We have a meeting with Headmaster Troyan at 1 PM tomorrow to finalize the agreement. Once we are done, we will return to Hogwarts. Do you have any questions?" he asked her.

Katherine shook her head, dropping her eyes and Severus couldn't contain himself. Returning to formality, Severus put a hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him.

""Ms Marks, when I ask a question I expect a verbal response," he said firmly. "Now, do you have any questions?"

"No," she replied belligerently.

His voice going stern at her lack of respect, he growled.

"No, what, young lady and think hard before you answer me."

Katherine wasn't stupid, she knew what he wanted.

"No Sir," she all but whispered.

He continued to eye her sternly for a moment before releasing her chin. "Since there are no questions, I will expect to see you promptly at 8am tomorrow morning for breakfast. You may go, but I expect you to remain in your room for the rest of the evening."

She started to nod again but at his stern look, she caught herself. "Yes Sir," she said. She took the papers off the table and walked to the door. Opening the door, she looked back at Severus still sitting at the table. "Goodnight Master Snape," she offered quietly as she turned and walked out the door, closing it gently behind her.

Severus rubbed a hand over his face and going to the couch, he picked up the new potions journal he had snagged from the reception area. Sipping at his evening cup of tea, he allowed himself to get lost in the journal.

_Back at Hogwarts_

Headmaster Dumbledore had been a little surprised when Fawkes announced that someone was on their way up the stairs. Glancing at the clock on the mantel, he noticed that it was already three hours past curfew. Going through a mental list of which students were famous for defying curfew, he identified a couple of likely possibilities and then just as quickly dismissed them. No student with any sense of teenage self-protection would actually dare to go the headmasters office while they were breaking school rules.

He had just stepped to his door to open it and wait for his visitor, when he heard the knock. Opening the door, he found Minerva McGonagall.

"Minerva come in, come in," he invited.

"Good evening Albus" she replied. "This message just arrived for you and it is marked urgent. By the return, it is from Severus," she said, as she handed him the thick envelope.

"Ah, thank you Minerva, I have been expecting this; thank you for bringing it to me. I dare say this is about our potential new student and Severus' new apprentice," he said, as he opened the envelope.

Taking out two sheets of parchment, and unfolding them, he noticed that one sheet was directed to Harry but the first was directed to him. He read:

_17 September_

_Albus;_

_Ms Marks identity confirmed and plans are in motion. Once the Master/Apprentice articles are signed and guardianship established, I will be returning to Hogwarts with Ms Marks. Barring complications, I anticipate arriving early tomorrow evening._

_Please send the enclosed note to Harry._

_With thanks and highest regards_

_Severus._

Albus looked up as he finished the letter. "Fawkes," he called his phoenix. Fawkes flew over to him. Putting the second sheet of parchment back into the envelope and resealing it, he handed the letter to Fawkes who took it gently in his beak. Stroking the bird apologetically, Albus asked him for a favor, using their shared bond link,

_*I realize you are not a post owl but would you be so kind as to deliver this letter to Harry Potter? It is most urgent that he receive it and I fear the post owls would be most put out to be sent out so late in the evening.*_

Fawkes trilled, _*no worries my friend. I will be back shortly*_

Dumbledore and Minerva watched as Fawkes flashed out. Turning to a slightly confused Minerva, since she couldn't hear his words to Fawkes, handed her Severus' note and explained:

"Severus indicates he should be back tomorrow evening from Germany and he will be brining his new apprentice along. We need to make arrangements for her quarters until such a time as she is properly sorted. The second note was to Harry. Knowing the urgency, I requested Fawkes to deliver it for me."

Minerva nodded in understanding and started a little as Fawkes flashed back into the office.

*Albus_, the letter has been delivered into Harry's hands. You can send me there anytime with a letter_,* Albus heard. *_He gave me bacon_.* Albus laughed before replying to his familiar.

*_Fawkes, you and your bacon addiction. Thank you my friend for your service_,* Albus replied, stroking the phoenix affectionately.

"I take it that Harry has received the letter?" Minerva questioned. Albus nodded. "Fawkes was just telling me that Harry knows how to treat a phoenix. Fawkes has a particular liking for bacon, a liking Harry seems to know about."

Minerva snorted and looked at Fawkes who gave her the phoenix version of a shrug before he went back to preening his feathers.

"Albus, I will take care of having a room added to Severus' quarters. Ms Marks can remain there until we get her sorted," Minerva offered.

"Thank you Minerva. I look forward to meeting this young lady. If what Stephan said is true, she is quite, shall we say, self-sufficient. She will be a challenge to our dour potions master," he said with a hint of mischief.

_Godric's Hallow_

Harry and Ginny were enjoying a quiet evening after putting James and Teddy to bed. Ginny had only arrived back that afternoon, ecstatic at her quidditch team's win over the French. She was sitting quietly in Harry's arms as they caught up with the events of the past couple of days, when a feather appeared in front of them and drifted to the floor. Uncurling herself from the comfort of her husband's arms, Ginny bent down and picked up the feather, turning back and handing it to Harry. Looking at the feather for a moment, Harry smiled.

"I recognize this feather; it's from Fawkes. It means he is nearby and is giving us warning he is coming."

No sooner had Harry finished the statement than Fawkes flashed into their living room not 10 feet from where they were sitting. Harry smiled as he approached the phoenix.

"Hello Fawkes, what are you doing out so late hmm?" Harry asked, as he stroked the large bird.

Fawkes dropped the letter he was holding into Harry's hand. Harry opened the envelope and read:

_17 September_

_Harry;_

_Ms Marks identity confirmed and plans are in motion. I will be returning to Hogwarts with Ms Marks and anticipate arrival early tomorrow evening._

_._

_Severus._

Having relayed to Ginny his conversation with Dumbledore and Severus, he told her "It's from Severus; he is bringing Ms Marks back to Hogwarts."

Harry walked into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of leftover slices of bacon off a tray. In celebration of Ginny's win and her return home, Harry had made Ginny's favorite; BLT's. Harry knew Fawkes would do anything for bacon.

"Thanks Fawkes for bringing me the letter," Harry said gently, handing the phoenix the treat. Taking the bacon gently out of Harry's hand, Fawkes practically inhaled the offering, giving Harry a grateful look and with a final trill of goodbye, Fawkes flashed out.


	10. The Master Formally Meets His Apprentice

_Author's note: This particular chapter starts with Katherine's point of view. A little of the bratty teenager is going to show through here._

Chapter 9: Master Severus Snape Meets Apprentice Katherine Marks

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story_.

Katherine stalked back into her room. Tempted to slam the door behind her, she suddenly remembered that HE was just next door. Sighing in exasperation, she closed the door firmly, which did nothing to ease her temper. Throwing the papers in her hand across the room, she gained little satisfaction in seeing the sheets scatter in the air and then flutter to the floor. Huffing, she rubbed a hand over her face and going to the couch, she picked up the new potions journal she had snagged from the reception area last night but had not had time to read. Sitting down, carefully, she crossed her legs, and started flipping pages furiously. She wasn't concentrating on what she was reading and when she accidentally tore a page, she grimaced, putting the journal back on the low table that sat in front of the couch. Sitting back, she crossed her arms and fumed. Her backside was sore, she was tired and wanted to do nothing more than go for a walk and HE had all but ordered her to remain in her room.

'Great, JUST great. I fight for my freedom from my oh-so-loving parents, finally gain my emancipation and now I am stuck with a guardian, again, who is going to do his level best to drive me insane', she thought furiously.

If it wasn't for the so recent attention she had received from Headmaster Troyan, she would have been very tempted to thumb her nose at Mr Perfect Master Severus Snape and leave to do what she wanted. However, the reminder of that afternoon still with her, she knew any negative actions on her part just might end up with her being in the same position, and she wasn't dumb enough to take that chance...not yet anyway. Snape was one thing but she was not chancing another "talk" with Headmaster Troyan and his damned paddle.

Still upset, she made her way across the room, deliberately stepping on the articles she was supposed to be reviewing, and smirked in satisfaction as she heard the sound of wrinkling paper. Leaving the sheets where they lie, she went in to take a shower, hoping the warm water would cool her temper and maybe the lingering soreness in her backside.

Thirty minutes later, Katherine emerged from her shower, her hair wrapped in a large towel, and dressed in her favorite green silk pajamas. Toweling the last of the excess water from her hair, she tossed the towel onto the floor of the bathroom and quickly ran her brush through the long, damp strands. As she stepped back through to the small sitting room, she spotted the sheets of the articles still gracing the floor. Her temper cooled from the long shower, she sighed as she picked up the sheets, grimacing slightly at their wrinkled state and the obvious sign of a footprint. 'Great, now I'll have to come up with some excuse as to how the sheets got damaged. Telling his royalness that I stepped all over them while they were scattered across the floor probably wouldn't go over too well.' Squashing down her rising temper, she made her way back over to the couch, sinking into its soft pillows and resting slightly on her side to take the weight off her sore backside. She brought the articles up and began to read.

Unfortunately, what she was reading did nothing to keep her temper at bay. She knew these articles were what she would have been signing upon her formal apprenticeship at the academy, and really, the articles were pretty straightforward. What it boiled down to was that she, as an apprentice, was duty and honor bound to learn all the master had to teach and to do so willingly; should have been simple. What was giving her concern, however, was the terms of guardianship.

She noted Master Snape's addition about her going to the academy and she didn't have a problem with that part. No, the part she had a problem with the statement that said 'the guardian shall have full leave and rights to discipline the ward as they see fit, avoiding abusive or extreme measures.'

'Now what the hell does THAT mean,' she wondered. 'As they see fit' could mean anything. 'What constitutes extreme measures?' she thought.

Unfolding herself from her current position, she made her way over to her books and taking out ink and quill, she was just about to circle the questionable sentences when she remembered HE had said to not mark on the parchment. She debated with her self for a moment before rolling her eyes, and taking out another sheet, made a notation about the statement and expanded on that, adding a question on the types of punishments, she grimaced as she wrote the word, she could expect while living under his majesty's thumb. Otherwise, the guidelines were clear and simple and she had no problem with those. Considering it was 5 pages of a lot of content, she really didn't have issue with any of it except that one line.

Yawning, she capped the ink bottle and just for the heck of it, placed the parchment sheets under her heavy books. Maybe the weight of the books overnight would get rid of the wrinkles, though she didn't hold out much hope. Grabbing her wand, she made a flicking motion that caused the lights in the room to dim to almost complete darkness.

Making her way into the bedroom, she pulled back the covers and crawled onto the firm mattress. Pulling the covers back over herself, she used her wand to darken her room and sank into the soft pillows. Grimacing slightly at the reminder of that afternoon's events, she rolled to her side and attempted to sleep.

_7:50 am the next morning in Katherine's room_

Katherine was dressed much the same as she had been last night. She had initially dressed that morning in what she referred to as her "going to war" clothes which consisted of skintight jeans and a shirt that ended just above her waist, showing her midriff and was cut very low, barely concealing what was underneath. White sneakers, untied with the laces loose, were on her feet and large dangling earrings were visible in her earlobes, her hair pulled back into a French braid. Just as she stepped out of her room however, to take a quick walk before breakfast, she had the misfortune to be seen by Master Snape as he was coming back from wherever he'd gone. He took one look at how she was dressed and had come, well, unglued. Growling low in his throat, he had grabbed her wrist and hauled her into his room. After a very short, but pointed and stern lecture on how a young lady should dress, and the threat of added soreness to her backside should she fail to comply, he had sent her back to her room with orders to change into "more decent attire and to throw those absolutely indecent clothes away or I will."

So here she stood, staring at her reflection in the mirror in the bedroom, dressed in "decent attire" consisting of a pair of loose but well cut dress slacks in a deep maroon, into which was tucked a long sleeved, two toned white shirt. She had changed out her earrings for a pair of gold studs and she wore a gold chain around her neck. She had changed out her comfortable sneakers for a pair of low heeled, maroon dress shoes that matched the slacks. Once she finished redressing, she had folded up her clothes and buried them beneath the rest of her things. Well, she had complied with half of his request anyway, she thought mutinously. Sticking her tongue out at her reflection, she turned around and made her way back to the sitting room, snatching up the master/apprentice articles in a fit of temper and making her way back to the room where his holiness was probably waiting, irritated that she would not get in her normal morning walk before breakfast.

_Severus' Room_

Severus was doing his best to calm his temper. He had walked out to the reception desk that morning to request that breakfast for two be sent to his room. On his way back, he wasn't paying a lot of attention, just letting his mind wander as he went through a mental list of what had to be accomplished today. Just as he was approaching his room, he became aware that someone else was stepping into the hallway. Glancing up to make sure he wasn't about to run into anyone, he opened his eyes wide in total shock and sucked in his breath as he realized who had stepped into the hall, and just what that same "who" was wearing. His almost apprentice and almost ward was dressed absolutely indecently; skintight pants, of which he had forgotten the name, and a shirt that was barely covering what it should, was barely worse than the huge earrings that adorned her ears and the ratty looking shoes on her feet. In three strides, he had been in front of her, grabbing her wrist and dragging her with him into his room. After shutting the door and placing a silencing charm, he had proceeded to tell her exactly what he thought of her "attire," with her standing there the whole time with her arms crossed over her chest in a defiant pose. Ready to haul her over his knee for a sorely needed attitude adjustment, he had barely restrained himself, only the fact that she was not as yet, legally, his ward had stayed his hand, and ordered her instead to get changed and to throw out those indecent clothes or he would, and Merlin help her backside if she failed to comply. She had retreated without a word of acknowledgement of his orders, but had the good sense not to slam the door on her way out. Now, 20 minutes later, he heard a knock on the door.

"Enter," he barked.

The door opened and he was now ready to acknowledge that this just might be his ward and apprentice. She had changed into much more suitable attire for a girl her age and was standing just inside the door, looking only marginally less defiant then she had been 20 minutes earlier. In her hand, she held the pages of parchment that he presumed were the articles of apprenticeship.

"Breakfast is ready," he said gruffly, barely acknowledging the fact that she had complied with his orders, "have a seat."

Sighing in temporary defeat and not having the energy to maintain her anger, she handed him the articles as she passed him on the way to the table. Severus raised his eyebrows at the state of the papers and 'what was that,' he thought, as he looked closer at the first page, seeing a mark on the page in the distinct shape of a small shoe. Shaking his head slightly, he made his way to the table.

Severus took a better look at her as he sat down. Judging by the dark circles under her eyes, she had spent a very restless night. Understandable, he thought, given her situation. While he had been angry earlier at her attitude, he was glad now that he had not given in to the impulse to turn her over his knee. He would be patient for now, as long as things didn't get too out of control.

Breakfast was through way too soon for Katherine's state of mind. She would have preferred to put off the upcoming conversation for a while, preferably a year or two. She watched as Master Snape picked up the articles, stiffening slightly as she waited for him to comment on the state of the wrinkled sheets, but instead he said,

"Are there any questions you have related to the articles?"

"Just one in regards to the guardianship clause, although it would also apply to the master/apprentice relationship as well," she said. She pointed out the line on page 3 about the 'discipline as they see fit' sentence. She colored slightly as she tried to figure out a way to ask her question and damn him, he wasn't making it any easier as he just sat there looking at her.

"How," she started and then stopped, then started again. "I mean what, methods, of discipline can I expect with you?" she said in a rush, dropping her eyes to the table.

Hiding his amusement, he answered.

"I prefer a range of methods," he stated, "but I can assure you that using you for potions ingredients is not on the list," he teased, looking for her reaction. When she didn't say anything or even look up, he sighed.

"Katherine," he said firmly, "look at me."

When she brought her eyes up to meet his, he went on.

"Students who misbehave may be given detention, lines, grounding, muggle chores, time-outs or any combination and I would more or less adhere to those, with some minor variations. I do use spanking as a punishment in certain circumstances but it is not normally my first action. Just as with my house students, two things will guarantee you a trip over my knee; lying is the first; willful disobedience is the second and for these two, the punishment is not negotiable. I normally use my hand, but I absolutely will not tolerate lying and therefore will use a hairbrush. I reserve the right to administer a spanking in replace of, or in conjunction with, other punishments at any other time as an appropriate consequence, and depending on the severity of the offense I may opt to use a ruler. Know this, however, I will never use my position as your teacher or as your guardian to abuse you in any way, and I will protect you in any way I can from anyone who would try to harm you. Do you understand?" he said, his voice almost gentle.

Katherine had paled slightly as he had gone on but she had to admit that what he was describing was nothing out of ordinary. The corporal punishment she could definitely do without, but, she got the feeling that arguing about it was only going to waste time.

"Yes Sir," she answered, for once, bypassing her standard nod.

"Good," he said. "Is there anything else?"

"No Sir, I will sign the articles as written with the one change about the academy. I don't have any objections."

"I shall bring the articles to Headmaster Troyan and so the final articles can be drawn up. It is now 10 and we don't have to meet with the Headmaster until 1. Other than returning here at 1130 for an early lunch, feel free to do what you will. I only ask that you do not venture further than the main campus buildings. Please make sure your belongings are ready so we can leave as soon as the articles are signed. In order to floo back to Hogwarts without worrying about Belgium," here he grimaced, "we need to leave as soon as possible this afternoon."

"I'll be ready," she said.

_12:50 PM_

Severus and Katherine stood in the outer reception area waiting for Headmaster Troyan to arrive. The morning had gone smoothly. Severus had dropped the papers off with Mrs Kealy directly after breakfast, who promised to have the revised articles ready. Severus had made his way back to his room to make sure he had everything ready for the trip back to Hogwarts. Even though he had enjoyed the short time away, he was happy to be heading back. Despite all his blustering, he really did miss the castle and the day-to-day drudgery of the school term. Not to mention, he needed to save Minerva from having to spend any more time looking after his Slytherins, and he was almost desperate to return to make sure the substitute had not allowed the students to destroy the potions lab.

While Master Snape and Mrs Kealy talked of things, Katherine sat quietly, her nerves stretched to the snapping point. 'This is it,' she thought. 'In about an hour or so, I leave here an apprentice, under the thumb of a new guardian for at least the next three years.'

She glanced at Master Snape and had to admit that other than that morning's lecture on her clothing, he had been pretty decent. He had ordered a light lunch, realizing her appetite was going to be almost non-existent. He had spoken about general things, not really asking questions, just sort of filling the time and talking just enough not to allow her time to really think about what was going to happen.

Just as Katherine checked the clock again, Headmaster Troyan came in, followed by James McCuithbert.

"Ah Severus, Katherine," he greeted with a smile, all formality gone for the moment. "Master McCuithbert has agreed to act as witness to the bonding. Are we ready?" he asked, as he opened the door to his office, taking the sheets of parchment Mrs Kealy handed him.

Severus waited for Katherine to go in before following. Master McCuithbert came in, followed closely by Headmaster Troyan, who closed the door behind him.

As Troyan stepped behind his desk for a moment, Severus glanced at Katherine. She had been very quiet through lunch and had barely spoken a word since they had arrived in the office reception area. She was still pale and he could see her hands trembling a bit. Realizing she was probably nervous and maybe even a little anxious, he placed his hand gently on her shoulder, offering some silent support. Katherine raised her head, looking at him, giving him a slight, grateful smile and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and closing her eyes for a moment. She felt a gentle squeeze and pat on her shoulder before the hand moved away. It didn't get rid of all the anxiety but it helped her feel a little steadier.

Stepping out from behind his desk and moving to the open area in front, Master Troyan gestured to the three to come forward to him. Once everyone was in position, Master McCuithbert to Severus' left and Katherine to Severus' right, Headmaster Troyan started the formal proceedings that would apprentice Katherine to Severus, and declare him her guardian.

"Master Severus Snape, do you agree to take Katherine Marks as your apprentice and ward, and do you agree with the contents of the articles including the terms of guardianship?" he asked.

"I do so agree," Severus said, giving the formal answer.

Turning next to Katherine, Master Troyan asked:

"Apprentice Katherine Marks, do you agree to accept Master Severus Snape as your mentor and guardian, and do you agree with the contents of the articles, including the terms of guardianship?"

"I do so agree," she said quietly, but clearly.

"Join hands," Troyan ordered firmly, "Master Snape right, Katherine left."

Once Katherine and Severus had joined hands, Master McCuithbert stepped forward, draping a thin gold chain over the linked hands, crossing it over the top and then wrapping the loose ends around each wrist. When he stepped back, Master Troyan began:

"The setting of the Master/Apprentice bond is an ancient ritual whose meaning has not changed through the ages. This bond signifies that Master Severus Snape has agreed, of his own free will, to take Katherine Marks as his apprentice and ward until such a time as her training is complete, or by mutual agreement. He agrees to train her, watch over her and protect her as per the boundaries set forth by both parties within the written articles of apprenticeship. This bond also signifies that Katherine Marks, of her own free will, has accepted Master Severus Snape as her mentor and guardian, until such a time as her training is complete, or by mutual agreement. She agrees to learn all he has to teach, and to abide by the rules he may set forth to guarantee her safety and well being as per the boundaries set forth by both parties within the written articles of apprenticeship. By the power invested in me as the Headmaster of the Kepler Academy and in compliance with the laws governing the setting of such, I hereby set the master/apprentice bond."

Once he finished, he tapped the chain once with his wand. The chain glowed brightly for a moment before subsiding back to its normal hue.

Master Troyan went on.

"In as much as the parties have agreed to set the master/apprentice bond, I declare the bond set," he said, as he gently unwrapped the chain from around the captured wrists.

"Master Severus Snape, I present your apprentice and ward, Katherine Marks. Apprentice Katherine Marks, I present you mentor and guardian, Master Severus Snape. Best of luck to you both."

Severus and Katherine released their hold on each other and stepped back, Katherine offering a shy smile to Severus who returned the gesture.

"Now that the official binding is completed, you need to sign the articles. Master Snape?" Troyan said, as he handed Severus a golden quill. Severus stepped forward to the desk, signing his name to the articles, his signature flashing gold. Stepping back, he tunred and handed the quill to Katherine. Katherine took the quill, stepping up the desk and signed her name to the articles, watching as her signature flashed silver. She turned and handed the quill to Master McCuithbert, who signed his name as witness, his signature flashing blue. Master Troyan also set his signature, his signature flashing green. Upon the last signature being set, the articles rolled and sealed, glowing momentarily before flashing out.

"Congratulations," Master Troyan said, "you two will do well."

"We appreciate your kind wishes Master and thank you for your attention," Severus said.

Turning to Katherine Troyan addressed her.

"Katherine, you will do well with Master Snape. Please remember that he will always have your best interests at heart and try not to drive him insane," Troyan said with a wink, placing his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Thank you Headmaster Troyan. I will do my best."

"Come Katherine," Severus said, "we need to go."

Turning, the new master and new apprentice walked out the headmaster's door.


	11. Welcome to Hogwarts

_Author's Notes: I am starving here...starving for reviews :) Katherine is going to be a little subdued here, but, she won't stay that way for long :) For now, she is still trying to figure everything out and sad memories are running through her head._

_Since the books don't mention an exact location for Hogwarts, other than it is in Scotland, I took a little artistic license and set it near Inverness. Inverness is actually in the central highlands and just happens to be near Loch Ness. Given the story of the Loch Ness monster and going on the giant squid in the great lake, well, you get the idea. :) If I set the location as per my understanding on how european countries/cities/counties work, I am pretty sure I have a complete "address." For any of the British types who may be reading, please feel free to correct my structure._

Chapter 10: Welcome to Hogwarts

Severus and Katherine made their way to the academy reception area in order to use the floo to start the journey back to Hogwarts. Severus had shrunk Katherine's four bags for easier transport, the bags safely tucked away in the pocket of his robes. He was carrying his own smaller bag in his hand. When they arrived the reception area, the same apprentice that had been on duty when Severus arrived, was once again sitting at the desk.

"Master Snape, leaving us already?" the apprentice said with a smile.

"Good afternoon Apprentice Sheffield," Severus returned. "I have to head back to make sure the teacher that has taken over my classes in my absence has not blown up my classroom," Severus teased.

Sheffield laughed and glanced at Katherine. Of all the apprentices that had known Katherine as Sienna Marks, Sheffield was the only one who knew her true identity. They had gotten along well and Sheffield had acted almost like an older brother when Katherine had first arrived. Coming around the desk, he walked up to her.

"Hey Kat," he said gently. "I want letters; let me know how things are going huh?" he told her, giving her a hug and bending down slightly to kiss her cheek.

"I will, thanks Sean," she murmured, returning the embrace.

"Good luck to you Apprentice Sheffield," Severus told the young man.

"Katherine, its time."

Not saying anything but stepping towards Severus, Severus asked her.

"Have you ever traveled by floo before?"

"No. I arrived here by plane and car. Afraid they haven't covered floo travel yet in class," she smiled.

"The process is simple. Using floo powder," he gestured towards the small bowl sitting on a table next to the fireplace, "you take a small amount, about a half fist full will do, and toss the powder into the fireplace. When the flames turn green, step in to the fireplace and state your destination very clearly, in this case, it is the Belgium Cross Station. Try not to flail about; you might want to keep your arms crossed in front of you or tucked in close to your body. For this first trip, it may be a good idea to shut your eyes but you may still feel a little dizzy when you get to the cross station. It's normal for travelers who aren't used to the sensation of floo travel. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir," she answered.

Holding out the bowl of floo powder to her, he watched as she took a handful. After taking the sand-like powder in her hand, she glanced up at Severus questioningly and at his nod, she tossed the powder into the dancing flames. When the flames turned green, she stepped in, turned to face Severus and crossing her arms in front of her, her hands clutching opposite elbows, she said, "Belgium Cross Station."

Severus watched as she disappeared in a loud "whoosh" and checking to make sure he had the anti-nausea potion in his pocket that he was sure she was going to need, he too tossed in the floo powder, stepped into the green flames, stated his destination and watched as the academy disappeared from his sight.

_Belgium Cross Station_

Severus stepped gracefully out of the cross station's floo, his gaze immediately searching for Katherine. It didn't take him long to find her. She was sitting in one of the chairs set-up for travelers, her face a most unbecoming shade of green and damp with sweat. 'Poor kid,' he thought. 'First floo experience and it has to be an international jump.' Walking over to her, he was already pulling out the anti-nausea potion. He put his hand on her shoulder and was just about to hand her the potion when she said, "don't talk to me, don't even look at me," she said weakly, not showing any attitude or defiance, "please tell me we don't have to do that again."

Severus chuckled in sympathy. "As you floo travel more you will get used to the sensation and you won't feel so disoriented. Here, I was hoping I wouldn't have to use it but I had Headmaster Troyan get it for me just in case; it's an anti-nausea potion," he said, as he handed her the small vial.

Taking the vial out of Severus' hand, she popped the small cork and downed the entire vial in one swallow, dropped her hand back into her lap and closed her eyes with a groan, resting her head back against the wall. Still smiling slightly, Severus could tell the moment the potion kicked in. Katherine's face went from sickly green to a shade more normal, even though she was still a little pale. She opened her eyes, looking at him.

"Thanks, that's much better," she said and repeated, "please tell me we don't have to do that again."

"Sorry. One more jump and I am afraid it won't be any easier since we are going all the way to Hogwarts from here; the distance is slightly further. That anti-nausea potion should help and if we get delayed, I have another vial with me that you can take."

"So why didn't you give it to me back at the academy before sending me on the trip from hell," she said in a slightly accusing manner, but with no real heat.

"Lanuage," he scolded mildly. "As to your question, I like torturing apprentices," he quipped, amused by her question. Chuckling at the glare she gave him, he went on. "We needed to find out how you would react. Not everyone has a problem and it is better to treat the symptoms afterward and know for sure, then to do a preventive for a just-in-case; you need to get used to the sensation," he finished.

"Get some water and relax for a few minutes," he told her, "let me check to see how long we are going to be stuck here."

He watched as Katherine went over to the table that was set with glasses and water pitchers. Satisfied she was steady enough, he went to the main desk. The clock behind the attendant's desk indicated the time as 2:30.

"Destination and number traveling," the attendant queried, glancing up.

"Two travelers for Hogwarts School, Hogsmeade, Inverness, Scotland," Severus told him.

Checking the floo schedule, the attendant told him, "3:45, floo 3, names?" the attendant asked in a monotone.

"Master Severus Snape and Apprentice Katherine Marks," Severus answered, doing his best to maintain a polite tone despite the man's seeming indifference.

Without saying a word, the attendant handed him two small slips of paper and went back to his work.

Severus turned on his heel and headed back to where Katherine was sitting.

"3:45," he said at her glance. "We got lucky, I had a three hour delay when I was on my way to the academy." he told her. "You may remain here or feel free to walk around, but, if you do walk around, don't wander too far and keep an eye on the clock. Be sure to be back here by 3:30," he said.

"3:30, right," she acknowledged and immediately wandered off. Narrowing his eyes for a moment, he debated calling her back and dealing with her manners, but, it just didn't seem the time. 'Time enough," he thought as he settled down with the potions journal had had not finished reading the night before.

_Hogwarts 4:15_

Severus stepped out of the floo in his own quarters and found Katherine much in the same position as he had when he had arrived at the cross station, The only difference this time was that she was a little pale and shaky, rather than looking like she was going to be sick. She sensed his presence and looked up.

"I detest floo travel," she said.

Severus laughed. "You'll get used to it, how do you feel?"

"Better than the first run but I am still feeling dizzy."

"Lean back, close your eyes and relax for a few minutes; the dizziness should pass," he told her. "I would prefer not to dose you again if we can help it; better to let things resolve on their own in this case but if it doesn't pass in a few minutes, we'll use the potion again."

Letting her nod pass due to the fact that she wasn't feeling well, he watched as she leaned back and did what he had told her. Leaving her for a little while, he went in his room, unpacking the few articles he had taken with him and putting everything neatly away. Heading back to the sitting room, he noticed the appearance of a door that had not been there when he left. Curious, he opened the door to find a bedroom and knew what had happened. Albus must have had the room added for Katherine. 'Well," he thought, "at least that takes care of where she is going to sleep tonight.' Pulling her bags out of his pocket, he returned them to their normal size and placed them in full view. Katherine could unpack when she was feeling up to it. Continuing back to the sitting room, he stopped when he saw Katherine. She had not only leaned back, she was now sound asleep. Glancing at the clock, Severus decided to let her sleep a little; he would set dinner back an hour, not an issue as he had intended for them to have dinner in his quarters anyway. No reason to subject her to the curious eyes of the students in the Great Hall less than two hours after arriving. Noticing that it was a little chilly in the room, he grabbed a blanket from the chest to the side of the couch and carefully draped it over Katherine, being careful not to wake her. Since Katherine was asleep, Severus decided to wait on checking on Slytherin House. Even leaving a note, Katherine would possibly miss it due to her unfamiliarity with the quarters. Making a decision, he walked into his adjoining office and grabbed the notes the substitute had left on his desk, along with some homework that had not as yet been graded. Writing a quick note to Dumbledore, he called for Carly and asked her to deliver the note for him. Once Carly had left, he walked back into the sitting room, took a seat in his favorite armchair and started reading.

_6:30_

Katherine woke slowly feeling much better. The dizziness was gone and her stomach was starting to remind her of just how little she had eaten over the past couple of days. Sitting up, she was surprised to see a blanket over her but even more surprised to see Master Snape reading in a chair not far from where she had been sleeping.

"Feeling better?" Severus asked her.

"Yes, thank you," she said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep like that. How long have I been out?"

Severus glanced at the clock, "a couple of hours. Between everything that has happened to you in the past couple of days and the long floo trip, it wasn't unexpected."

Getting up, he gestured towards the door that led to her room. "The headmaster must have had a room added for you after he got my message. Your bags are already there if you wish to unpack. Dinner should be arriving in about 30 minutes."

Standing up, she made her way to the room Severus had indicated and stepped through the door. She saw her bags sitting neatly in a corner of the room and she took in the rest of the room A queen-sized bed was on one wall, with a nightstand to the right of the bed and two large wardrobes on the left of the bad. A desk and chair sat across the room and a tall bookshelf was against the same wall. The room was decorated in shades of green and there was a large rug that covered most of the center of the floor. Opening up the first bag, Katherine took out all her books, most were from the academy but a few of them were ones that had been given to her by Master Marconi. She arranged these first and then turned to unpack her clothes. She hesitated over her academy student robes. She sat on the bed holding a set, and gently wound her hands through the fabric A jolt of sadness ran through her. Ever since Master Marconi had first started speaking about the academy, she had dared to dream. When he had died and she had lost that one arm of support, she had all but given up that dream, feeling lost and completely unsure, losing the will to try. She had thought herself crazy when she came up with the crazy scheme of applying to the academy as her sister, but the more she had agonized over it, the more her attitude had kicked in and the more she wanted to begin her studies. Still, she wasn't sure all the planning and plotting and waiting and worrying had been worth it. She had almost lost any chance of ever being able to gain a mastery and if it had been any other head, she was sure she would have been tossed out in disgrace with no thought or care as to her future. She angrily wiped a tear away that had managed to find its way down her cheek. Standing up, she put her academy robes back into the bag that contained the rest of her academy attire and closed the bag with determination. After all, when she returned in three years, even if she grew out of their current size, they could still be made to fit. Putting away the rest of her clothes, including the outfit that had almost given Master Snape a heart attack, she grinned at the reminder of the look on his face before he had hauled her into his room, she closed the bureau drawer, put the bags in the closet area and went out to the sitting room where she could smell that dinner had arrived. Suddenly, she was famished.

When Katherine stepped back into the sitting room, she stopped short. Standing at the table was the shortest and funniest looking creature she had ever seen. Very long ears and a shock of white hair, was on top of an almost impossibly tiny frame. Squinting a little, Katherine looked at what the tiny creature was wearing and could have sworn it was a hand towel, er, tea towel she mentally amended..this was Britain after all. Big blue eyes were looking at her curiously.

Severus noticed his ward's confusion. "Carly is a house-elf Katherine. Many others work within the castle walls, keeping it livable and preparing meals. A house elf is assigned to each of the staff members to serve as their personal servants if needed."

"Carly," he addressed the small elf. "This is Katherine, my ward and my apprentice. She is going to be staying here at Hogwarts and may be in my quarters from time to time."

"Carly is pleased to meet Miss Katherine and Carly will serve Miss Katherine well. Miss Katherine should feel free to call for Carly whenever Carly is needed," the elf said, bowing slightly but smiling the whole time.

"Nice to meet you Carly," Katherine said smiling, not knowing what else to say to the small being.

"Carly," Severus said, "I think we can handle things from here. Headmaster Dumbledore is going to be having dinner with us so please have his favorite tea ready in an hour or so."

"Of course Master Snape," Carly smiled, disappearing with a bow.

Just at that moment, the fireplace flared to life and out stepped the oldest man Katherine had ever seen; he reminded her of the wizard Merlin from the old King Arthur movies she had watched as a small girl. A very long, flowing, snowy white beard went all the way to the man's knees, but was neatly captured by a small gold chain at roughly chest level. The beard was matched by long white hair over top bright, twinkling blue eyes that were well visible behind a set of square glasses, spectacles she amended silently. 'Darned British, why can't they speak normal english,' she thought. The man wore robes of deep purple with, Katherine winced, green vines wavering back and forth, looking like they were climbing the robes. Looking up, she caught the older man's eyes and blushed at his amused gaze. "Sorry," she muttered.

Dumbledore noticed Katherne's perusal and just stood there quietly, waiting until she was done. When she finally looked up, he had to smile as she blushed. At her muttered apology, he laughed.

"No worries my dear, I am used to it," he waved off her apology and went on. "I am Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster here at Hogwarts. On behalf of the staff and students, I welcome you to the school," he said. "Severus said you weren't feeling well after your floo trip. I remember my first floo trip, most distressing, but, you will get used to it in time. Are you quite recovered?"

"I am now," she said. "I just hope I don't have to do it again anytime soon," she said with a wry grin.

Severus broke in, "shall we sit down?"

Once they were seated, there was little talk going on as they devoured a delicious Chicken Marseilles, whipped sweet potatoes and green beans with a delicious cheese sauce.

Following dinner, the three went back to the sitting room, Katherine and Dumbledore sitting on the couch and Severus heading for his chair. Carly popped in with the evening tea. Severus poured and prepared the tea for Dumbledore and let Katherine prepare her own while he waited. Once he had prepared his own, they sat back comfortably and Dumbledore addressed Katherine.

"Now my dear," he said kindly. "We need to decide what to do with you."

"Do with me, what do you mean?" she asked a little worried.

"Severus has explained about your studies to date and that we are not positive where you are in those studies. As such, we cannot place you in the correct classes to allow you to be challenged, yet not overwhelmed. When I received Severus' note informing me that you would indeed be coming to Hogwarts, the staff and I got together. I have explained our plans to Severus and he has given his approval," here he stopped for a moment, sipping his tea.

Dumbledore went on. "Beginning Saturday morning, you will be tested in several areas including charms, transfiguration, herbology, potions and astronomy. Charms and transfiguration will be tested during the day on Saturday, astronomy will be tested Saturday evening. Potions and herbology will be tested on Sunday, although, from what Severus has told me, those two exams shouldn't be at all difficult for you," he smiled. "All exams will be both written and practical but I don't want you to worry over them. They aren't overly long and are designed only to see where you may be behind and need help catching up to your year mates. Tomorrow, Madam Hooch, our flying instructor, will take you to Diagon Alley to get your uniform taken care of so you can start classes on Monday morning. We won't worry about books just yet until after your exams. There are enough copies of all the years' texts here we can get you by until your correct books arrive. Once we get your schedule set, Severus can then work out your apprentice schedule. If you are too far behind in a particular area, you will need to work a little harder to get caught up and may need to delay the start of your apprentice studies. You may need tutoring with various members of the staff, but I am sure Severus will also be happy to help," he stopped again.

"Do you have any questions on anything I have said?" he asked.

"No," Katherine answered, Severus made a mental note to address her manners soon. "I guess its fair. I admit that other than herbology and potions, I haven't had much preparation for the rest. Master Marconi was pretty limited in what he taught me. Then again, he was so happy to talk potions intelligently with someone else, he sort of forgot other things existed," she said fondly.

"Wonderful, wonderful," Dumbledore exclaimed. "I will get the staff to set their exams and will see you tomorrow. We will get you properly sorted before dinner tomorrow evening if that is all right with Severus?" he said questioningly, glancing at Severus. "That is fine Headmaster," Severus stated.

"On that note then, I will bid you both good evening. Again Katherine, welcome to Hogwarts."

"Thank you Headmaster," she said again. "Goodnight."

Severus escorted Albus to the floo and bid him goodnight just before he disappeared in the flames.

"Katherine," Severus said, gaining her attention from the books in the bookcase she was perusing. "Come over here and sit down, I want to talk with you a moment."

When she complied, Severus sat across from her.

"I need you to listen to me very closely, do you understand," he said firmly.

"Yes," she stated.

"That is what I wish to address, your continued disrespect," he said, his tone growing stern. "I am not sure if your lack of manners is just due to not being taught properly and disrespect isn't intended, or if you are doing this on purpose. However, regardless of what you have or have not been taught in the past, you will now show proper respect by using Sir or Ma'am as appropriate when addressing anyone in authority. The staff may also be addressed as Professor. For me, Master Severus, Sir or Professor will be acceptable when we are in public or we are acting as teacher and student. In private, within these quarters, I will allow you to use my given name. Do you understand?"

"Yes...Sir," she said, but Severus knew she was dying to say something.

"Out with it young lady. This is your one free pass to speak freely if you disagree with what I just said."

Looking at him, she said a little belligerently "I was always taught that respect can't be demanded. It has to be earned or it's worthless. I don't see why I have to address someone in any way other than being normally polite, until they show me they deserve my respect."

Severus silently counted to ten in five different languages before he answered her, his voice still stern. "I know the saying but the professors and staff here have earned respect for the simple fact that they are teachers and your elders." Until such a time as they may show you they do not deserve your respect, then we can talk. Otherwise, you will do as I say and remember your manners. Is that clear?"

"Yes Sir, may I go, I am tired" she said dully.

"You may go to your room and read if you wish before going to bed. I will see you in the morning."

Katherine looked at him. She knew damned well she had just gotten sent to her room for whatever lack of respect he had perceived tonight but she went anyway, wishing him a quiet "goodnight SIR, emphasizing the honorific, as she went into her room.

Severus almost went after her but sat back down and took another fortifying sip of his tea. He reminded himself that this was a learning process but for her sake, he hoped the learning process didn't take too long.


	12. An Early Morning

_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I am in the middle of a couple of graduate level courses and had to spend time working on some much more boring writing activities. In the next few chapters, you are going to see the relationship between Katherine and Severus develop a little more fully. As Katherine gets a little more comfortable with her status, there is going to be some attitude and rebellion taking place, causing our good potions professor to start taking a harder stance in laying down his law, not the least of which is when he finally gets around to actually stating the "rules" to Katherine, who, as a typical 14 year old who has been on her own and answerable to no one for at least a year, is not going to take some of those rules very well._

_Upcoming chapter hints: Harry will be present in a few chapters; mainly in his position as an auror, however, there is going to be at least one flashback to when the "new" relationship between Harry and Severus started. Severus will also have another flashback to his days at the academy with Master Troyan._

_Recap from Chapter 10: Katherine and Severus have returned to Hogwarts. After a talk with Severus and Dumbledore over dinner, Katherine has learned she will be tested over the weekend to determine her year level and will start classes on Monday morning. As such, Madam Hooch has been recruited to take Katherine to Diagon Alley on Friday to get her school uniforms as there won't be time over the weekend. Katherine is due to be sorted that evening, before dinner, in the Great Hall. _

**CONTENT WARNING: Moderate language and Spanking**

Chapter 11: An Early Morning

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story_.

_5:30 am_

Katherine got out of bed and got dressed in a pair of loose fitting shorts and a t-shirt, intending on taking a morning run to try and get rid of the restlessness she was feeling. Putting her hair up in a loose ponytail, she made her way to the door of Severus' quarters. To her surprise, the door opened easily and she stepped into the corridor, closing the door softly behind her. Once she got outside the door, however, she realized she had no idea how to get out of the castle, seeing as his majesty had not felt it necessary to show her around. Biting her lip for a second, trying to guess which way to go to get out of the castle, she suddenly remembered something.

"Carly," Katherine called softly.

Almost immediately, the house elf appeared.

"How can Carly help Miss Katherine," she asked.

"Can you show me the way to get outside? I'm afraid someone forgot to show me around last night," Katherine said.

"Oh of course Miss Katherine, just this way," said Carly, already walking down a long corridor.

Katherine followed Carly, grumbling under her breath. She was grumbling a lot more when they finally reached the front door. Carly had taken so many twists and turns, Katherine doubted she would be able to find her way back.

"Uhm, Carly?" Katherine asked gently. "I have a feeling I am going to need your help to find my way back. Can you hang out here and wait for me, I won't be long."

Carly looked up at Katherine in confusion. "Carly can't hang Miss Katherine; Carly doesn't like heights," the small elf told her with a touch of fear in her voice.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "I didn' t mean hang literally Carly, I meant, can you stay here and wait for me?"

Carly smiled. "Miss Katherine only needs to call for Carly and Carly will come."

"Thanks Carly. I'll be back in a little while."

On that note, Katherine lookeda t the large door before her. Taking a step closer, she opened the door and stepped out, for the first time, onto the grounds of Hogwarts. Looking around for a minute as she stretched out, she decided to take a run down near the huge lake she could see. She could keep the castle in sight, lessening the chance of her getting lost until his royalness decided to take her on a tour. Taking a deep breath, she started off in a light jog, glad to finally get out in the open air again.

_5:45 am_

Severus' inner alarm clock woke him right on time. His nose picking up the scent of fresh coffee, he silently thanked whichever being had sent him Carly; the elf was almost indispensable. Getting out of bed, he put on his robe and slippers and on his way out to the sitting room, glanced at Katherine's closed door. Debating for a moment whether or not to wake her, he decided to let her sleep in a little. He'd make sure she was up before he left to check that his classroom was ready for his morning classes. Finally making his way into the sitting room and over to the tray holding the coffee, he poured himself a large cup and took a quick sip. 'Bliss,' he thought. Sitting down at the small table, he took the _Daily Prophet_ that Carly always had for him in the morning, and after taking another drink of his coffee, he set the cup down and settled in to see what news the _Prophet_ thought was important.

_7:00 am_

Severus was dressed and headed towards Katherine's room. He needed to talk to her for a minute before he went to the classroom, and then up to the Great Hall for breakfast. He would have preferred to have breakfast in his quarters, but, Dumbledore insisted that the staff eat breakfast and dinner in the Great Hall with the students. Knocking on the door, he waited for a response and when he didn't hear anything, he snorted. 'Typical teenager; would sleep the morning away.' Opening the door, he was surprised to see that the bed was empty, and unmade. Seeing that the bathroom door was open and not seeing any sign of Katherine, he tried anyway. "Katherine," he called, nothing.

Taking quick stock of the room again, he noticed that all her bags were still stacked in the closet area. He went over to the wardrobe and opening the doors, found all her clothes still in place. 'OK,' he thought, 'she hasn't taken off, or at least she didn't take anything with her.'

Part in worry and part in irritation, he wasn't angry yet, Severus strode back out to the sitting room. He knew he hadn't shown her around last night, just an oversight on his part and not an intentional act, and this thought alone had him worrying a bit more. If she had gone out just to look around, the chances of her getting lost amidst the many corridors and rooms in the castle was very high and not all the rooms were safe for unwary students.

Just as he was about to call Carly and ask her for her help to find Katherine, the door to his quarters, the one that opened directly from the corridor, opened, and Katherine walked in. She didn't see him right away as she was talking to someone still out in the corridor.

"Thanks for bringing me back Carly," he heard her say.

His worry, turning to relief and then to anger, had him moving towards Katherine.

"Just where, pray tell, have you been young lady," he said, his voice stern. Katherine jumped about a foot as she whirled around to face him, her heart hammering at the scare he had given her. 'Where did he come from?' she thought.

"What the hell do you think you're doing sneaking up on me like that?" she demanded. "Good thing I didn't have my wand in my hand or you'd be toast," she huffed.

"Language young lady and watch your tone," he said sternly. "Imagine my surprise that when I go to wake you, I find not you but just an unmade bed. Since I know I didn't show you around the castle last night, an oversight on my part, I would have hoped you would have had enough sense than to leave my quarters. Now, where were you and I suggest you do not make me repeat myself again."

Katherine kicked herself mentally, knowing full well she should have left a note somewhere; even Master Marconi had made that request. She had just been so eager to get out of the castle she hadn't thought about it. Still, he made it sound like major crime. "What am I,' she thought, 'a fucking prisoner?'

She was surprised again when Severus grabbed her wrist and made his way over the ottoman sitting to the right of the fireplace and she suddenly realized she had voiced her thoughts out loud. Sitting down, he yanked her down across his lap, wrapping his left arm around her waist and landing a hard, resounding 'thwack' on her thinly covered backside. The running shorts she was wearing offered little protection, as she soon discovered. Too shocked to respond, Katherine remained still. Severus took the opportunity to land another half-dozen hard, biting cracks before Katherine finally gave voice to her opposition.

"OW you lowlife bastard, let me GO!" she yelled, throwing her hand back to try and protect her vulnerable backside from the hard, stinging blows.

Clenching his teeth even harder at her language, he captured her flailing wrist in one hand, tipped her further forward over his knee to get at her sit spots and proceeded to roast that area as he snarled.

"Keep up the language young lady and we will be here all day." 'SMACK.' "I've warned you before about your language," 'SMACK' "and disrespectful tones," 'SMACK. "I would suggest," 'SMACK,' "that for the sake of your ability to sit," 'SMACK,' "that you modify your language," 'SMACK' "and remember what few manners," 'SMACK' "you may possess!" 'SMACK'. At the end of his speech, he administered another dozen hard, fast smacks to the whole of her bottom and then stopped.

By the time he stopped, Katherine had quit struggling and was crying, hard sobs that completely shook her. She had stubbornly refused to voice any protests after her first outburst, but had been unable to hide her reaction to the hard smacks Severus had given her. Releasing her captured hand, Severus let her lie over his knees for a minute as he gently rubbed her back. Katherine started to calm a bit, but was still crying softly when Severus helped her up and stood her in front of him. Standing up, he put his hands around her upper arms, turned her around and sat her down firmly on the ottoman he had just vacated. Not quite willing to offer comfort, he ignored her slight hiss of pain as her sore bottom made contact. Moving his hands from her arms to her shoulders, his voice still firm but slightly more gentle, he asked again, "where were you?"

"I..I like to r-run in the morning," she stuttered slightly, still trying to get her breathing under control. "I h-haven't been able t-to lately due to being sick and everything e-else, I just needed to get out. When I woke up and you were still asleep, I didn't think it would be a problem. I-I had Carly take me to the door and I took a few laps around the lake and then just sat for a bit. When I came back, I called Carly again and she brought me back," she finished quietly. "I guess I probably should have left a note or had Carly let you know where I went as soon as you woke, if I wasn't back yet," she admitted, glancing up at him. "I'm sorry," she offered.

Severus nodded in understanding. "I wouldn't have had a problem with you leaving this morning if there had been some indication of where you had gone. The castle has many rooms and corridors that aren't completely safe and if you had been wandering, it could have been dangerous," he explained. "What I took exception to was your instant attitude and poor language when I confronted you. Had you maintained a respectful tone and not used such colorful language while you explained, you would not have ended up with such a sore bottom this morning," he finished, handing her a clean handkerchief. He watched as she mopped her face.

Not knowing quite what to do, Katherine twisted the fabric of the handkerchief in her hands as she continued to look down. Severus sighed and putting a long finger gently under her chin, forced her to look at him. A lone tear was making its way down Katherine's cheek.

"I realize things are going to take a little time," he said gently, using his thumb to wipe away the tear. "You and I are trying to determine how this relationship is going to play out and that is a normal process. I don't dwell on wrongdoing. You do something wrong, you get punished and it is over. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir," she answered softly.

Severus patted her shoulders before releasing her and stepping back. "Madam Hooch will be down around 10 to take you to Diagon Alley to get your uniforms and basic supplies. Katherine watched as he walked over to his desk. He picked up the pile of parchment that were the ungraded essays and walked back over to her.

"One of your duties as my apprentice will be to help me with classes. Even though you can't teach as yet, I'd like you to take over some of the grading duties. When you get back from Diagon Alley, take a look at these and see what you think. Do not mark on the essays as yet. Just write the student's name down, any comments and a suggested grade. Tonight, you and I will go over your suggestions and if I find them sound, you can take over some of the grading. If you can't read something, just set it aside and don't worry about getting through all of them. You will find that many of the students have not as yet mastered the use of a quill," he said with a grimace. "I would prefer to show you the castle myself but if you feel the need, please call Carly to accompany you; she knows what areas of the castle to avoid. As well, at some point, I would like you to write down your formulation for the Polyjuice, Pellets did you call them?," he asked.

"Yes Sir," she answered.

"Once I validate the formula, we can send it to the patents office and get it properly registered in your name."

"You would do that for me Sir?" Katherine asked in surprise.

"You are my apprentice, apprentice," he smiled. "It's a part of my job as your mentor to make sure you get due credit for any of your work."

"Now, do you have any questions? Carly will bring breakfast for you."

"No Sir," she answered.

"Very well. I will be in classes until 3 so I will see you then."

"Have a good day Sir," Katherine answered shyly.

"And you as well apprentice," he answered, as he walked through the door connecting his quarters to his office.

Katherine stood up and rubbed her bottom, trying to ease the still lingering sting. Sighing, she went to her room, intent on taking a shower before breakfast.


	13. Suited and Sorted

Chapter 12: Suited and Sorted

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story_.

_10:00 am_

Katherine had finished breakfast and had been working on writing down the Polyjuice Pellet formulation when there was a knock at the door. Glancing at the clock, she quickly capped the ink bottle, assuming the person on the other side of the door was this Madam Hooch who was supposed to be taking her to Diagon Alley. Opening the door, she found a tall woman in very good physical shape, about 75 years old or so, Katherine guessed, with short, gray hair that looked like she had been caught in an active wind tunnel. Looking into the woman's eyes, Katherine was almost mesmerized. Pupils so large that they took over almost the entire surface of the eye, the look reminded Katherine of a hawk.

"Good morning Miss Marks," the woman said with a smile. "Are you ready?"

"Yes Professor," Katherine said, as she stepped through the door, closing it gently behind her.

"This way then," Madam Hooch indicated a direction with a quick flip of her hand.

Remembering the direction from when Carly had accompanied her that morning, Katherine was able to actually look around a bit in the beginning, but then started concentrating very hard on the entire route. Madam Hooch had a grin on her face as she glanced at Katherine from time to time, trying to discern the girl's thoughts. Noticing the girl's concentration, Madam Hooch had to laugh.

"Try not to concentrate so hard dear," she said. "The castle is very large and has many of its own secrets, but it is actually not difficult to learn. We find that most first year students find their way around quite well within a week or so. As you attend classes, sheer repetition will help you to remember where you are going."

Katherine smiled wryly and relaxed a bit. "I have never had a problem with my sense of direction, however, my trip out to the entrance with Carly this morning made me wonder if I would ever be able to get anywhere without a guide. I don't think I have ever been anywhere where it took me 10 minutes to get from my quarters to the front door."

Madam Hooch laughed again and they continued to speak about other things as they made their way to the front entrance. When they stepped out of the front entrance into the bright sunshine, Katherine wondered where they were headed. She got the feeling that Diagon Alley wasn't exactly close and was wondering how they were going to get there since floo travel obviously wasn't going to be used this time, thankfully.

"Madam Hooch?" Katherine questioned, as they continued to walk towards what looked like a large gate in a very tall wrought iron fence. "Where is Diagon Alley?"

"London dear," Madam Hooch answered automatically.

"Uhm, London isn't exactly within walking distance. How are we getting there?" Katherine asked finally.

Madam Hooch didn't answer immediately as she tapped the large lock on the gate with her wand and muttered a string of words in Latin. Katherine watched as the lock clicked open and the chains unwrapped themselves, the gate swinging open. Motioning Katherine through and then stepping through herself, Madam Hooch relocked the gate with another string of Latin. Turning to Katherine, she finally answered Katherine's question.

"We are apparating. Do you know what that is?" she asked Katherine. At a quick shake of the head from Katherine, Madam Hooch explained.

"A witch or wizard can travel in many different ways, one of which is using apparition. This is when a witch or wizard can travel from one location to another in what can be best termed as teleportation. The exact scientific explanation of the process is complicated, but witches and wizards seem to prefer it over floo travel. Apparition requires a license, which is not granted until after the apparition test is passed. The apparition test is normally administered when a witch or wizard comes of age at 17. As you are underage, we will be using what is called side-along apparition."

"Why do I get the feeling I am not going to like this any better then floo travel?" Katherine asked with a grimace.

Madam Hooch smiled again. "Professor Snape told me of your reaction to floo travel; one of the reasons I chose apparition instead. I will admit the apparition sensation isn't necessarily pleasant, but at least it is over much faster than flooing." Balancing on both feet, Madam Hooch motioned Katherine over to her.

"Come," she said gently. "Normally, just holding on to my arm would be enough, however, since this is your first experience, I would feel more comfortable with a closer hold. Stand in front of me, your back to my front," Madam Hooch instructed.

Katherine stepped up, curious and started a bit as Madam Hooch wrapped her arms around Katherine.

"Easy child, I won't hurt you." Madam Hooch said gently. "I am going to count to three and then I am going to make a turn to your left. On three, turn with me, do you understand."

At Katherine's short nod, Madam Hooch counted and on three, Katherine turned slightly to her left, and immediately felt as though she as being sucked through a very narrow straw, her breath catching in her chest. Just when she felt like she was starting to suffocate, the sensation ended and she heard.

"All over Miss Marks," Madam Hooch said with a chuckle. "Welcome to Diagon Alley."

Opening her eyes, Katherine found herself on the edge of what could be a large thoroughfare. There were a collection of various types of shops lining the road on both sides and even this early, the street was bustling with other witches and wizards.

Putting a hand on Katherine's back, Madam Hooch steered her into the street, saying "we need to head to Madam Malkin's first for your uniforms items. As they are being sized, we will get your other basic supplies."

Walking into Madam Malkin's, the two were approached by a kindly woman who glanced at Katherine with a big smile and then greeted Madam Hooch. "Rolanda," the old woman greeted, what brings you here this morning, on a school day of all things?" the woman asked.

Gesturing towards Katherine, Madam Hooch explained. "This young lady is starting at Hogwarts and needs a full uniform outfitting."

"Oh of course," the woman smiled. With a gesture, a tape measure appeared in front of Katherine's eyes, who glanced at it warily. "Just hold still a minute dear, I need to get your measurements."

Katherine all but jumped out of her skin when the tape measure wrapped itself snugly around her neck, but relaxed when just as quickly, it began the other standard measurements. A large piece of parchment appeared in front of the proprietress who glanced at the numbers that had appeared. With a wave of the woman's wand, one each of a shirt, skirt, slacks, sweater, 'jumper,' Katherine corrected herself, and robe appeared. Also in the stack was a pair of black lace-up shoes, a pair of black pumps, black tights and black knee socks.

"Let's just see how these fit dear and we can go from there. You may change back here," the kind woman directed.

Katherine took the few items and made her way back to the changing area. Dressing quickly, the uniform wasn't complicated, she walked back out wearing the slacks and lace-up shoes with the uniform.

"Step up on this platform here," the woman indicated. As soon as Katherine had stepped up, the woman muttered, "very nice indeed," as she flitted about, pinning the hem in the slacks, shortening the sleeves of the shirt slightly and adjusting the length of the outer robe. "Are the shoes comfortable dear?" the woman asked.

"They feel fine," Katherine answered.

Madam Malkin nodded. "You need to try on the skirt now dear," the woman said, waving Katherine back to the changing area.

Katherine sighed and went back to the changing area; she wasn't overly fond of skirts and couldn't understand why every school uniform she had ever had to wear, included skirts. This was the 21st century for crying out loud. Grumbling a bit, she changed into the skirt and put on the low heeled pumps and went back out, where Madam Malkin again attacked with her never ending supply of pins.

"Shoes OK dear?" At Katherine's nod, the woman stopped her flitting and said, "all done now dear, you may get dressed and kindly bring out your uniform items with you."

Feeling like she had just been through a whirlwind, Katherine changed back into the jeans and shirt she had come into the shop with, and gathering the uniform items in her arms, being careful of the sharp, pointy pins, Katherine walked back out of the dressing area. Placing the items on the counter the woman indicated, Madam Malkin said "I need about an hour to get everything ready. Do you wish to carry the items or should I set them to ship to Hogwarts; they would arrive early tomorrow afternoon."

Contemplating for a moment, Madam Hooch said, "please have one full set ready for pick-up; you will need one set for your testing tomorrow," Madam Hooch explained to Katherine. "No need for us to be bogged down with a lot of packages now is there," she said.

As Madam Malkin turned to tally up the purchase, Katherine spoke quietly to Madam Hooch.

"How is this being paid for," Katherine asked her.

"Professor Snape told me to charge all of today's purchases to his Gringott's account," Madam Hooch told her. "He contacted the bank to give his authorization, why, is there a problem?"

"Uhm, no. I guess I can pay him back later," Katherine muttered, unaware of the confused look Madam Hooch gave her at her statement. Accepting the claim ticket and receipt from Madam Malkin, Madam Hooch steered Katherine out of the shop and proceeded down the street to several more shops including the apothecary and Flourish and Blott's bookstore. Allowing Katherine to purchase two books, they had a quick lunch outside one of the many eateries and then made their way to Ollivander's, their last stop before heading back to Madam Malkins'. Fifteen minutes later, Katherine walked out of Ollivander's with her very own wand. The wand was made of rosewood, 13 inches with a **Chimaera Scale** core, which Ollivander said was very rare, very powerful and useful for all forms of magic.

Waking back down to Madam Malkin's, they picked up Katherine's uniform, the skirt she noted with a grimace, and getting confirmation that the rest of the uniforms would arrive Saturday afternoon, Madam Hooch and Katherine apparated back to Hogwarts. Once they arrived, Madam Hooch accompanied Katherine back to Severus' quarters and bidding her good afternoon, told her, "I will see you at dinner tonight."

"Thanks Professor, for taking me today," Katherine said politely. "I enjoyed it."

"I did as well," Madam Hooch returned with a smile, and then she turned and made her way back up the long corridor.

Katherine went in and hung up her new uniform. She smiled as she came back out into the sitting room. Carly must have realized she was back as there was a small platter of assorted scones and finger sandwiches sitting on the table. Two pitchers were on the table as well and held ice cold water and some other kind of cold, sweet juice Katherine couldn't readily identify, but taking a quick sip, she filled a glass. Glancing at the clock and surprised to find it was only 1:00, she snagged one of the scones and taking her glass, made her way over to Severus' desk where she had been writing out the Polyjuice Pellet formula. Casting a cushioning charm on the hard chair to save her still slightly aching backside, she sat down. Putting the Polyjuice formula aside for now, she pulled the student essays towards her and started reading.

_3:00 PM_

Severus stepped into his office form the classroom, grumbling under his breath and rubbing his temples, trying to forestall the massive headache that was just starting. He was only gone two days and his students acted like they had forgotten everything. To top it off, most of his Friday classes were combined Gryffndor/Slytherin and as usual, the two rival houses were up to the same mischief. Still, he had managed to forestall any major incidents with a few well placed warnings, the loss of 78 total points for the day between the two houses and only three detentions. For a Friday, that was a record. His usual Friday was normally 150 points plus and at least a dozen detentions. 'Maybe they are finally learning to get along,' he mused. Stepping into his quarters from his office, Severus noticed Katherine sitting at his desk, writing on a piece of parchment. He noticed the neatly stacked essays sitting on the side and wondered how many she had gotten through.

"Afternoon Master Severus," she said with a smile, noticing his entrance. Her smile faded a little as she remembered what had happened the last time they had been in this same room together and she squirmed just a little in her chair.

"Katherine," he said with an acknowledging nod, trying to hide the smirk as he noticed her squirming. "How was your trip with Madam Hooch?"

"Oh, it was good. I think I definitely prefer apparating over floo travel though," she said wryly.

Severus chuckled, "I do as well actually. Did you get everything?"

"I think so. Madam Hooch was the one to give Madam Malkin the order. I have one uniform here for tonight and tomorrow; the rest are coming tomorrow afternoon. We stopped at the apothecary and Ollivander's as well, oh, and we had lunch," she finished, a little breathlessly as she waited for Severus' reaction. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I can pay you back as soon as you tell me how much everything cost. I'll have to transfer funds from my account in the states but it shouldn't be a problem; maybe in a few days."

"No need Katherine," he said, waving his hand idly. "You are my legal ward and as such it falls to me to take care of material needs, and that includes clothing. Did you find anything in Flourish and Blotts that captured your interest? I told Madam Hooch to let you purchase anything you wished."

"A couple of books for light reading," she said, "thank you."

"I see you worked through the essays. Were there any you need help translating?"

Katherine chuckled. "I got through them all; didn't have any problems." she said. At Severus' astonished look, she laughed. Getting up from behind the desk, she said, "back in a sec," and Severus watched her head towards her room. Coming back out, she had a piece of parchment in her hand which she handed to Severus. Taking it, he tried to read the atrocious cramped and scribbled handwriting. "Which student wrote this?" he asked.

"None," Katherine answered. "That is the last paper Master Marconi wrote in preparation for the conference in Indiana," she giggled.

"I saw that paper," Severus stated. "It was hand-written rather than in print, but I would certainly remember if I had seen writing like this."

"Once Master Marconi figured out I could translate just about anything he wrote, I got stuck re-writing everything. The paper you saw was in my writing, not his. Funny thing is, he was a slave driver when it came to my writing. He would make me re-write anything he didn't think was neat enough. I got mad at him one day when he returned something for the third time, demanding a re-write as it still wasn't neat enough for him. I asked him why I had to write so neatly if his handwriting was so bad no one could read it. He told me that when I reached his age, I could write the way I wanted but since I was only 13, I would darned well learn to write properly. Compared to Master Marconi, your students' handwriting is perfect," she grinned.

"You're hired," Severus said. "We have a few hours before dinner so let's start going over what you found in those essays."

Sitting down next to Katherine at the desk, he matched the student essays with Katherine's observations. Two hours later, he was happy to see that Katherine's observations were dead on and he agreed with all her comments. The only thing he corrected was her suggested grades.

"The grades aren't wrong per se but they are in the muggle system. We use a slightly different scale here. Severus wrote out the scale at the bottom of the parchment Katherine had used to record her remarks and explained, "there are three passing grades, 'O', 'E' and 'A,' and three failing grades, 'P', 'D' and 'T.' The passing grades are roughly the same as on the muggle scale. An 'A' on the muggle scale would be equal to an 'O', or outstanding. 'B' would be an 'E' or exceeding expectations. An 'A' or acceptable on our scale would relate to a high 'C' on the muggle scale. The scale changes a little, however, when we get to the failing grades. For something that doesn't quite meet an acceptable, you would give a 'P', or poor. This would relate to a very low 'C' on the muggle scale. After that, the grades relate. A 'D' in the muggle scale is the same in our system as dreadful or 'D', and a completely failing grade, 'F' in the muggle scale, would be a 'T' in our system, for troll. Do you understand?" he questioned when he was done explaining.

"Yes Sir, that is easy enough to remember. Do you want me to write the remarks on the essays and the grades?" she asked.

"Please do," he said, pleased that he didn't have to ask. "Use the red ink on the essays. If you would as well, my grade book is in the left hand drawer. Please record the grades. Dinner is in an hour and you'll need to be in uniform for the sorting. You don't need to finish everything before dinner, in fact, those won't be handed back until Monday so you have all weekend. Take your time."

"I should have them finished; there aren't that many here," she said. "If I don't, I'll have them done before Monday."

Severus nodded and left Katherine to the essays, happy that at last, he could avoid grading essays he couldn't read.

_5:50 PM_

Katherine was gazing at herself in the mirror. She was dressed in her uniform, the skirt much to her disgust, and she had opted to leave her hair free for once, pulling it back with a couple of well placed combs and letting the rest fall down her back. 'Damn,' she thought, 'I look 14 again.'

Sighing, she walked out into the sitting room where Severus was waiting. He nodded in approval but noticing the open button at the top of her shirt, he explained, "normally you would wear a tie that indicates to which house you belong. Once you are sorted, two ties will appear with your belongings and a tie must be worn at all times while you are in uniform. He gestured towards the door," shall we?" he said.

Neither one of them spoke on the trip up to the Great Hall. Katherine was a little nervous but couldn't understand why. Severus had explained the sorting and it wasn't like it was a big deal. Still, this would be the first time she would be interacting with the rest of the students and there were a lot more of them then what she had encountered at the academy. The doors to the Great Hall stood open and as she and Severus stopped at the entrance, Katherine saw that all the students were already gathered. She heard the voice of Headmaster Dumbledore as he addressed the gathered students.

"We will have a slight delay to dinner this evening," she heard. "We need to sort a new student who will be starting on Monday, Katherine Marks. She has been apprenticed to Professor Snape, who will also act as her guardian and will be housed with the fourth years." Katherine heard a rumble of voices move through the hall. As though this were his cue, Severus gestured Katherine forward and rubbing her suddenly damp palms on her skirt, she made her way down the center aisle, looking neither left nor right, aware only that Severus was behind her. Glancing ahead of her, she only recognized two people at the staff table, Madam Hooch, who gave her a smile and of course the headmaster, who gave her an encouraging nod.

There was a three footed stool sitting in front of the staff table, upon which rested a battered looking hat that had a large rip near its brim. Severus picked up the hat by it's pointed crown and gestured for Katherine to take a seat. Sitting down carefully, she waited as Severus put the hat on her head and she heard,

"_Welcome, welcome Miss Marks. I see you have a lot of talent, though a somewhat mischievous nature. You have seen much in your young years, so much, and have the need for acceptance and approval. A strong sense of obligation also shows a strong mind, an intelligent mind. Professor Snape sees much in you and understands your talents. Your cunning and your ability to adapt and change with events would do you well in Slytherin. You would also do well in Ravenclaw, where you could feed your mind and further your studies. Gryffindor would gain you that acceptance and approval you value so highly. In decision, I think your best place would be _"SLYTHERIN!" Katherine heard the hat announce to the general gathering.

The hat was taken from her head and she looked up at Severus, who smiled and gestured with his hand towards the Slytherin table. She heard polite applause as she walked over to the Slytherin table and glancing at her new housemates, she took a seat at the open spot at the end of the bench. Glancing around, she was met with various greetings of hellos and hi's from the students at the long table, to which she nodded politely A couple of seconds later, huge platters of food appeared on the table and she followed everyone at the table as they filled their plates and got down to eating.

Severus sat at his place at the staff table, talking quietly to his fellow teachers, but also observing his apprentice. She had seemed nervous before the sorting but now looked comfortable as she ate and spoke with her housemates. He had spoken briefly with Madam Hooch, who had reported that Katherine's behavior had been exemplary that afternoon, but, he still needed to speak to her tonight. After that morning's incident, Severus needed to set his rules with her so they could avoid any more misunderstandings or surprises. Realizing Minerva was speaking to him, he turned towards her, glancing occasionally at his apprentice to make sure all continued to be well.


	14. Rules and Revelations

_Author's Notes: This and previous chapters have all been written as a straight timeline of events and follow the daily happenings. Once this chapter is completed, I am going to be jumping ahead in the timeline based on where the story goes. If I didn't, this story would be about 100 chapters :) In this chapter, Katherine is going to be inundated with Severus' rules and will learn just how much she needs to learn._

Chapter 12: Rules and Revelations

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

Dinner was finished and Severus made his way over to the Slytherin table. All the Slytherin students looked up as he approached, collectively holding their breath, wondering who might be in trouble. Just as quickly, those breaths were let out in relief when he ignored the rest of the table and approached his prefects. After a quiet word with the Slytherin prefects, Severus turned his attention back to Katherine.

"I will see you in quarters in 15 minutes," he told her, before turning on his heel and walking back to the staff table.

The other Slytherin's looked at Katherine curiously. Their head-of-house's voice had been firm, but was certainly lacking the tone that would indicate one, or more, of their number had somehow managed to get on the wrong side of the dour professor.

The fourth year girl that Katherine had been sitting next to throughout dinner approached her.

"What was that all about?" she asked. "Everything OK?"

"I think so," Katherine replied. "He indicated we needed to talk tonight so I am sure that is what he intended. Besides, I can't think of what I could have done between leaving quarters with him just before dinner and now," she said with a grin. "I'll see you later."

"Uhm, wait a sec," Katherine called to the girl who had just turned to leave. "Can I get you to show me how to get back?" Katherine said with a self-disparaging smirk. "I could probably find my own way in an hour or two but he gave me a 15 minute time limit and doesn't seem inclined to show me himself."

The girl laughed, Shiell Katherine recalled her name. "Sure, no problem. I'll take you the right way, no use confusing you with shortcuts…yet," she said mischievously.

Rolling her eyes, Katherine followed her escort. She hoped Severus wouldn't take too long with whatever he wanted to talk about; she wanted to get her stuff together so she could get back to Slytherin House and start learning about her new classmates.

_8:10 PM_

Severus walked back into is quarters after having a conversation with Albus and Minerva over Katherine's testing schedule for the weekend. He had suggested, and they had agreed, that it would be better for Katherine to remain in his quarters for the testing period and to move into her room in Slytherin sometime Sunday evening after her testing was completed. He had already approached the prefects with his intentions and had let them know he would notify them if the situation changed. He wasn't looking forward to this next conversation with Katherine. She had already shown a certain dislike for imposed rules and she wasn't going to like additional restrictions.

At exactly 8:15, Katherine walked back into the sitting room after changing out of her uniform and in to her comfortable jeans. As Severus had mentioned, she had found two green and silver striped ties lying on her bed. She remembered the complicated looking knot on the tie Shiell had been wearing and realized she was going to need help learning to tie the thing properly. She'd ask Shiell tonight.

Severus was just sitting down in his chair, cup of tea in hand thanks to the ever vigilant Carly, when Katherine entered.

Nodding towards the tea tray, Severus said "Carly brought tea if you wish some. I believe there is also a pitcher of pumpkin juice as well."

Katherine walked over and recognizing the sweet juice from that afternoon, she poured herself a glass and at Severus' gesture, walked back over to take a seat on the couch facing Severus, waiting for him to speak.

"I know we spoke a little about a couple of rules and consequences when we went over the articles, however, now that you have been officially sorted into Slytherin house, you need to know the rules and expectations I place on the house students, as well as those additional rules you need to follow as my apprentice and ward."

Pausing a moment, he saw that Katherine was relaxed and listening; he went on.

"I have made it a habit to have a talk with all the new first year students on their first night at Hogwarts. While the prefects are well versed in the rules and related consequences and would be more than happy to pass them on, I find hearing the rules and consequences from me first results in fewer, shall we say, incidents of misbehavior."

Katherine grimaced but Severus ignored it for now and continued.

"If you remember, I mentioned the fact that there can be dissent between the houses. In the past, Slytherin house had the misfortune to enjoy the reputation of producing dark wizards," at Katherine's confused look he explained, "evil wizards. Without going in to long details at the moment, the last dark wizard to be defeated, just 7 years ago, was out of Slytherin and unfortunately, the resentment he caused in the wizarding community has spilled over to the children, and thus the reputation of Slytherin house has been slow to recover. As such, it is imperative that Slytherins present a united front; I do not tolerate fighting within the house. Slytherins are expected to protect each other from bullying from the other houses and to look after those students younger than themselves. Older students are expected to assist younger students with homework or other problems that might arise, or to bring those problems to me if deemed necessary. I have an open door policy when it comes to Slytherin house and I expect students to come to me at anytime, for whatever reason. As such, I have little tolerance for rule breaking or excuses related to poor grades . Slytherin students are required to maintain passing grades at all times. If a student is having problems and the prefects or other years are unable to help, students are expected to come to me and ask for help. Receiving a failing grade after asking and receiving help but still not understanding the material will not be punished beyond extra study time and tutoring, however, receiving a failing grade because a student has not bothered to ask for help, will be addressed with a spanking in addition to restriction and extra required study time. "

Severus paused here, taking another long sip of his tea and giving Katherine a minute to absorb what he had just told her.

"The rest of the house rules are simple. 1. You will show proper respect and decorum at all times. That means using the appropriate address to the professors and being polite. As I stated this morning, you will address the professors as professor or Sir/Ma'am as appropriate. You will address me as Professor, Sir, Master or Master Severus. If we are alone in these quarters , as we are now, I give you permission to use my given name unless we are interacting as teacher and student. 2. Obey curfew. General curfew for Hogwarts is 10 pm, however, I have set different curfews depending on the year. First and second year curfew is at 9, third through fifth year is 9:30. Sixth and seventh years follow the normal Hogwarts time schedule; lights out is 30 minutes past curfew. Weekend curfew for Hogwarts is 11 pm, however, my set weekend curfew, Friday and Saturday, for first through fifth years is 10. Once curfew has been reached and the first years have retired at 9:30, I expect quiet in the common room area. Older students may read, study or talk quietly until their time is reached but there is to be absolute silence by 10:30. Under no circumstance, beyond illness or emergency, is a student to leave their common room after curfew, or their dormitories after lights out, unless permission has been requested, and received, from me in advance. If caught out of the common room after curfew without permission, my punishment may be a spanking depending on the hour, but definitely restriction and possibly an in-house detention. If caught by another staff member, the student will be required to serve that staff member's punishment, if applicable, in addition to anything I decide to set. Do you understand so far?" Severus asked Katherine.

"Yes sir," she answered, but Severus could see she wanted to comment; he didn't give her the chance.

"3. You are expected to adhere to the general Hogwart's rules;" Severus handed her several sheets of parchment. "As you can see, most of those rules are not any that are beyond normal behavior lines. The punishments listed, detention, loss of house points, lines and so on are self-explanatory. I, however, employ the idea that if a student is punished at school, meaning by another teacher, they also face punishment from me, so fair warning. 4. As my apprentice you will possibly be brewing higher level potions. Under no circumstances are you to brew any potions beyond the OWL year without my being present. If you test out where I think you will, you will be having potions with the seventh year N.E.W.T. students. This is the only time, other than any one-on-one time we may have, that you are allowed to brew higher level potions. This is a safety requirement as higher level potions may contain toxic and/or volatile ingredients and the restriction is not negotiable. If I catch you brewing something that is restricted, you will find yourself over my knee among other things," he said, his voice stern. He went on, "I have already told you about lying and willful disobedience. Do I need to go over those again?" he asked.

"No sir," she answered, wishing he would finish up so she could go. A quick look at the cloak showed it was 9 pm.

"Do you have any questions?" he asked, noticing her looking at the clock.

"No sir," she answered.

"Do you understand what I have told you?"

"Yes sir," she said, somewhat distractedly as she looked at the clock again.

"Katherine, look at me," he said sternly. Once he had her full attention again, he said,

"I do not accept any excuse of 'I didn't know' if someone breaks a rule or gets into trouble. I do not give warnings as I feel covering the rules as I do IS the warning. I will ask one more time. Do you understand what I have told you?"

"Yes sir I understand," Katherine said, barely holding on to her temper. Good grief, she was 14, not 4.

"Very well," he returned. Glancing at the clock himself, he noted it was 9:15.

"Go ahead and get ready for bed then. You can read out here or anything else until 10. Your first test is Charms with Professor Flitwick, and will start promptly at 8am tomorrow morning. You will also complete the Transfiguration and Astronomy tests tomorrow. On Sunday, you will start with Defense at 8am, followed by Herbology and then Potions. Everything should be completed by dinnertime on Sunday."

Katherine's jaw had dropped.

"I wanted to stay in the dorms tonight," she said a little petulantly. "Why do I have to stay here tonight?

"First, it is nearly curfew. Second, since you are going to be testing this weekend, I feel it is better for you not to be, distracted. You may move into the dorms after you finish testing on Sunday," he said, his voice even in the light of her burgeoning attitude.

Katherine pouted a bit but for once, didn't argue.

"May I go Sir, I am tired," Katherine said, still pouting.

Severus sighed. "You may. I will wake you in time for breakfast before you need to see Professor Flitwick. Katherine," he said, wanting to get her attention. Once he had it he went on.

"I know you are, disappointed, about the dorm. Keeping you here until Sunday isn't a punishment. You may still speak with your classmates and housemates at meals and spend time in the common room or dorm tomorrow after your testing is completed. Given the number of tests, however, you are probably going to be feeling mentally, if not physically, tired and will more than likely want somewhere quiet to relax. The common rooms and dorm can get rather, active, during the weekends."

Katherine sighed. "I understand Sir, goodnight."

"Goodnight," he returned.

As she left the room, Severus rubbed a hand over his face. 'I'm getting too old for this," he thought to himself.

_Sunday, 5:00 PM_

Katherine walked into Severus' quarters having just finished the Potions test and practical, and rubbed a hand over her face. Man she was tired. She wanted to go to bed and sleep for a month. Saturday's practicals had gone well but she knew the written exams were a complete wash. Apparently, Master Marconi had glossed over the theory and just showed her the "how" of doing spells. Astronomy went well enough as there wasn't any theory; it wasn't like the star configurations and planets changed their forms. Today, the Defense practical again was easy but she had ditched the theory exam after the first couple of questions. No reason to put forth the effort when there was no chance of getting the answers right. The only two tests she had actually felt comfortable with was Herbology and Potions. She had blown through the written Herbology exam easily enough ad the practical was simple plant identification and verbal recitation of properties. She could tell Master Severus had set the potions test. The questions had gotten successively more difficult and the test had been challenging; she had actually enjoyed it. She knew she didn't get everything right but figured that was his goal; to see just how much she knew. The practical was surprisingly easy; Master Severus had only required she brew a simple sleeping draught. She figured he was looking more at sequence and technique since many more advanced potions usually took more than a day to brew.

She went into her room to change out of her uniform. Looking at the bags she had packed that morning, she decided to forego the dorm tonight, if Master Severus would allow it; she was too tired to socialize. 'Dammit,' she thought to herself with a grimace, 'he was right.' Taking the bags off the bed, she decided to lie down for just a few minutes to unwind.

_7:00 PM_

Katherine rolled over and opened her eyes, then looked around a little confused. There was a blanket covering her and somehow, the jeans and shirt she had changed into after changing out of her uniform had changed into a set of loose, comfy pajamas. Going over things in her head, she gasped a little as her eyes found the clock; 7 PM, she'd been asleep for two hours!

Standing up, she found her slippers and slipping them on, made her way to the bathroom where she splashed some water on her face to wake herself up. She took out the braid that she had put in that morning and ran a brush through her hair. Turning around, she headed to the sitting room, her stomach rumbling. Maybe Carly could bring her something.

She saw Master Severus in his usual place in his favorite chair, reading a journal. He looked up as she came into the sitting room.

"Awake I see," he said with a teasing note.

"I didn't mean to go to sleep, I just closed my eyes intending to relax for a minute," she said wryly. "Guess I was more tired than I thought."

"You have had a long few days. I knew that once you got through the testing that the lack of nerves was going to finally shut you down. You've been running almost on adrenaline alone; you needed the rest," he said.

"Yeah, yeah, had to get in the 'I told you so' didn't you?" she said with a cheeky grin.

"A master's perogative apprentice," Severus shot back playfully.

"Well, Master," she emphasized the title, still in a teasing manner "is it your perogative to starve me to death or can I get some food here?"

Severus laughed. "I tried to wake you for dinner but you mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'go away' and then you promptly turned over and went back to sleep. Carly," he called.

Carly popped in. "Yes Master Severus? Good evening Miss Katherine," the elf greeted.

"Carly, Katherine missed the evening meal. Would you be so kind as to bring something for her?"

"Oh of course, right away," the elf said happily, popping back out.

A few minutes later, a platter with a variety of sandwiches and a large tureen of onion soup appeared, along with pitchers of milk, pumpkin juice and water.

"Good grief, how much does she think I am going to eat?" Katherine said, looking at the pile of food.

Severus chuckled. "House elves are very accommodating; you definitely won't starve here. I have your results here. Do you want to eat first or can we go over them while you are eating?"

"During," Katherine said, snagging a sandwich and a bowl of soup. "I pretty much know what you are going to tell me so it isn't going to be a surprise."

"Well," Severus went on, "you actually did better than I thought. Your grades in Charms and Transfiguration on the academy entrance exam were fairly accurate given your scores here. I take it Master Marconi didn't show you the theory behind spells?" he questioned.

"He had me read the books but he didn't actually go over things with me. He was more interested in showing me how to work the spells. Once I realized he wasn't going to ask about what I was reading, I just didn't feel the need to make the effort."

"You are behind in the theory in Charms and Transfiguration. Professors Flitwick and McGonagall put you at about the second year level, but with the successful practical, they are wiling to let you continue in regular fourth year classes. You'll have to study the theory from the previous years but you should easily be caught up by the Christmas break. Astronomy went well; you are easily at fourth year there. As with Charms and Transfiguration, you are going to need to work on the theory for Defense for second and third year, otherwise, you will be in class with the fourth years. It is no surprise that you are past N.E.W.T. level in both Herbology and Potions. This is good as it will give you a little extra time to work on catching up in Charms, Transfiguration and Defense. For now, you will not need to attend classes in Herbology but we can use the N.E.W.T. potions class to start on the advanced potions," he handed her a schedule.

"You need to make a decision on two electives for fourth year. You can choose Arithmancy, which is valuable in potions, Ancient Runes, Divination or Care of Magical Creatures; you can make that decision tomorrow. For tomorrow, you have Charms, Transfiguration, Defense and History. Professors Flitwick, McGonagall and Marken will have extra assignments ready for you to start getting you caught up. Since you only have classes until 1, you can work on the extra assignments in your free class hours. This will also follow in your schedule for the rest of the week. Any free class time should be spent on getting caught up and then use your regular after class hours to do the other work."

Katherine nodded. "Sounds easy enough as long as I can find my way around this place. Can't say as I like the idea of doing nothing but studying though. I'd like a life, eventually."

"I don't think you will find the schedule difficult. I said you would easily be caught up by the Christmas break but I have a feeling it will be sooner. Your memorization ability will help you to learn and retain the required theory in Charms, Transfiguration and Defense. Since you know the wand movements and verbage required to work the spells, the rest is just a lot of reading, but," and here his voice hardened a little, "you will be tested on the information so no skipping the reading."

"I get it, I get it," Katherine said with a smile. "I wanted to ask you if I could stay here one more night," Katherine ventured. "I am not up to socializing tonight."

"Of course," Severus said. "You can stay here whenever you want; your room is your room. You don't even have to move all your belongings into the dorm if you don't want to; you have free access to these quarters."

"Thanks," Katherine said with a sleepy smile. She was feeling very drowsy now that her stomach was satisfied. It was only 8 but she was ready for her pillow again.

"I think I am headed back to bed. Maybe I'll actually be awake for classes tomorrow," she said with a grin. "Goodnight Master Severus."

Severus nodded. "Goodnight apprentice. Sleep well."

Katherine walked back to her room and crawled under the covers with a sigh of pleasure as her body relaxed and she drifted off. 'Maybe this won't be so bad,' she thought, as sleep claimed her.


	15. Hogsmeade Trouble

_Author's Note: The issue that occurs in this chapter is one that readers will remember from a previous chapter :) Katherine has had a full week of classes and interaction with her house-mates. Friends have been made and in typical teenager fashion, thoughts of consequences are far from the front of their minds as they plan their first Hogsmeade trip. Since no mention of a "normal" clothing shop was ever mentioned for Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, I created one :)_

_**Content Warning: Spanking in this chapter.**_

Chapter 14: Hogsmeade Trouble

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

Katherine looked at herself in the mirror and grimaced. She was dressed in what Severus would refer to as "appropriate attire" and she hated it. It was her first Hogsmeade weekend and while she was looking forward to spending the day with her new friends, Severus had made his expectations for the excursion quite clear. Appropriate attire, back by 4 pm and limit the number of sweets. She snorted; his exact phrase had been "I won't have a teenager bouncing off the walls until all hours due to an overload of sugar; therefore, restrain yourself from overindulging and don't bring any back."

She, Shiell Rook, and another fourth year girl, Rowan Moreau, had become fast friends in the last week. On a particularly quiet evening, all three having finished their homework, Katherine had told them everything. Wide-eyed, they had seen her actions as a great adventure, but were also sympathetic to the issue of her being ward to their head-of-house.

"He's strict enough with the house students. It has to be murder having him hovering over you as his ward," Shiell had stated. "I thought my folks were bad, but Snape makes them look permissive."

Katherine had shrugged off the statement without really responding, preferring to steer the topic in a more pleasant direction. The three had spoken of the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend and what they would wear and where they would go. Since Katherine had never been to Hogsmeade, Shiell and Rowan had been more than happy to tell her about the sights.

Knowing what Shiell and Rowan planned on wearing, there was no way she could wear this "respectable" outfit; she would be too embarrassed. Biting her lip as she continued to look in the mirror, she glanced over at her backpack and had an idea. Pulling out her favorite jeans and shirt out of the bureau drawer, the same set that Severus had been so bent out of shape about at the academy, she folded them up as small as she could and put them in the backpack. She added her favorite sneakers and the gold hoop earrings that completed the outfit. Fortunately, it was an unusually warm weekend and she could get away with wearing that outfit without freezing. She would walk out in her "appropriate attire" and then change once they got to Hogsmeade where she would be out of Severus' line of sight. She would change back before they headed back that afternoon; Severus would never know. She'd have to let Shiell and Rowan into the secret since the change would be obvious but they were already sympathetic with her plight as Severus' ward.

Making sure she had everything, money, hairbrush and a sweater just in case it cooled down, she tossed her backpack over her shoulder and made her way out to the sitting room where Severus was seated at his desk, grading sixth year quizzes.

"All ready I see," Severus said pleasantly. "You remember what we spoke about?" he said.

"Yes Sir," Katherine said brightly, trying to keep her voice calm with her backpack burning a hole in her shoulder from the secret it held inside. Back by 4 and limit the sweets; don't bring any sweets back and leave Hogsmeade in one piece, or at least still standing."

Severus chuckled. "Get out of here brat and leave me in peace."

With a cheeky grin, Katherine waved to Severus and walked out the door into the corridor. She walked a little ways and came to the door for the Slytherin common room. Shiell had shown her how to get everywhere and she had picked things up quickly. By Wednesday, she knew the main routes of the castle anyway but was still learning Shiell's shortcuts.

Just as she was about to say the password to go in, the portrait guarding the entrance opened and Shiell and Rowan walked out.

"We were beginning to wonder if Professor Snape had you pinned down, lecturing you with another 400 rules for going into Hogsmeade," Rowan giggled.

"No, only three," Katherine shot back, as they started walking towards the castle entrance. Shiell and Rowan were dressed much the way Katherine was, both carrying their own backpacks. "One rule was wearing what he refers to as 'appropriate attire,' I swear that man is still stuck in the 17th century," Katherine groused a little.

"We know," Rowan said. "Last year, he caught Shiell and I going to Hogsmeade in jeans that he said were way too tight to be decent. He lectured us for about an hour on what a proper young lady should wear, " Rowan rolled her eyes, "and then told us if he ever caught us wearing such indecent attire again, he'd make sure our backsides were too swollen to fit in them again," Rowan rolled her eyes. "So, we walk out of the castle in front of him to show him we are dressed "appropriately" and then we get changed, out of his sight," Rowan said mischievously.

Reaching the main entrance and walking outside into the warm morning sunshine, Katherine looked around for a second and then opened her backpack. "I need to see your changing area," Katherine said, showing the contents to the other two girls.

Jaw dropping, Shiell said, "you have guts, I can't argue that. Let's go."

Shiell and Rowan showed Katherine to a small abandoned house just outside of Hogsmeade.

"This place has been abandoned since our first year. No one knows why the family moved out and the house was never sold. One of the windows was left unlocked and students have been using it for the past few years for whatever. Everyone has been careful not to do any damage and to clean up after themselves, so, nothing has ever been officially done to close it up," Shiell explained. "Of course, Headmaster Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers have told us many times to stay out of it, but," she shrugged, "since no one has ever gotten caught the practice goes on."

Katherine left her bag outside as she crawled through the low window. Rowan handed Katherine her bag and then turned around to act as sentry. Katherine looked around the room. Everything was covered in white sheets, the few uncovered horizontal surfaces dusty. She walked a little further into the room, away from the windows, and quickly changed. She folded her dress clothes carefully to hopefully avoid any tell-tale wrinkles and walked back to the window. Tossing her backpack back out, she carefully climbed over the ledge, dropping lightly to the ground. Closing the window, she picked up her backpack and made her way over to where Shiell and Rowan were talking. Both girls stopped in mid-sentence when they saw her. Shiell let out a low whistle.

"No wonder Snape nearly had a heart attack," she said. "Is that what Americans are wearing these days?" she asked in awe.

"Like it?" Katherine questioned.

"Let me put it this way," Shiell said. "I won't squeal to Snape if you tell me I can borrow that outfit once in a while," she grinned.

"Deal," Katherine said with a smile of her own. "Now, hurry up and get changed. I want to see Hogsmeade."

Once Shiell and Rowan had changed, the trio made their way into Hogsmeade, ready for a fun day.

_Back at Hogwarts_

Severus was in his personal storeroom searching for salamander tails. He had done a complete inventory of the storeroom a couple of weeks before the start of term and he could have sworn he had seen salamander tails. Descending on a bottle in triumph, he grumbled as he read the label. The bottle of chimaera scales was in the wrong location, which is probably why Severus thought he had salamander tails instead. 'No use fighting it, guess I have to run to Hogsmeade; I need those salamander tails,' he thought to himself. Placing the chimaera scales back where they belonged, he closed the door to the potions storeroom and made his way to his quarters. Making sure he had enough with him to buy the salamander tails, Severus made his way to the castle entrance and headed for Hogsmeade.

_Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade_

Katherine, Rowan and Shiell were enjoying a late lunch and a few butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks. The owner, Madam Rosmerta, was a kindly woman and had been most accommodating to the three girls. Even with all the Hogwarts students in town today, the pub had been quiet. Most stopped by on their way back to Hogwarts and it was still a little early, only about 2.

Once they finished, they grabbed their backpacks and walked to the door, intending on heading back to the clothing shop to do some more shopping. None of them had a lot of money on them but the could still pick up a few items. Walking out the door, they turned left and made their way down to Master Taylor's Dress Threads. Just as they got adjacent to the apothecary, a man stepped out right in Rowan's path, nearly knocking her down. Intent on helping Rowan, Katherine and Shiell weren't immediately aware of the identity of the tall man. When he turned, all three girls paled.

Severus made his purchase at the apothecary and was so intent on heading back to Hogwarts that he inadvertently stepped out of the apothecary into the path of someone, nearly knocking them down. An apology on his lips, he looked up and the apology died on his tongue, anger beginning to build as he took in the three girls in front of him.

No one spoke for a minute; the three girls holding their breaths and Severus too shocked to say anything coherent. Closing his eyes for a moment, he opened them and leveled a glare at the three.

"Can any of you offer any kind of an excuse as to why you are, dressed," he spat the word as though it was a bad tasting potion, "in such a fashion?" Not giving them a chance to answer, he pointed in the general direction of Hogwarts. "I suggest," he said sternly, "that you make your way back to Hogwarts and I do mean NOW!"

Gulping hard, the three girls turned back the way they had come, making their way slowly out of Hogsmeade, Severus right behind them. Glancing at each other, Katherine chanced a look behind her, wincing at the look on the face of the glowering man behind them.

"Stop looking and keep walking," Severus said sternly. "I suggest you three pick up your pace or I will be more than happy to help you along."

Eyes widening at the veiled threat, the three girls picked up their pace a bit, fearing what was going to happen once they got back. As they approached the castle entrance, Severus' voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Miss Moreau, Miss Rook, you two are to go to your dormitory, find a corner and stay there until I come for you. Miss Marks, I will see you in my quarters right now," he said sternly.

Too scared to speak, all three walked glumly into the castle, Shiell and Rowan breaking off to head to the Slytherin dorms while Katherine made her way to Severus' personal quarters.

The moment Katherine and Severus entered his quarters, Severus grabbed Katherine by the upper arm, turned her to the side and administered five hard, resounding THWACKS to her bottom. Surprised at first, Katherine didn't react until the third smack, yelping in spite of herself and trying to get her backside out of the line of fire, dropping her backpack and throwing her hand back in an attempt to shield her bottom from the stinging smacks. Ignoring her, Severus marched her over to the nearest corner and pointed.

"Nose in that corner young lady and don't you dare move," he said, his voice hard and stern.

Trembling slightly, Katherine faced the corner. She had no idea what to say in order to get out of this one. On one hand, she was upset about Severus' old fashioned ideas about what teenagers should wear, but on the other hand, she knew she had been warned. His words at the academy floated through her mind and she groaned silently; this wasn't going to be good. Still, after about 15 few minutes of intense silence, Katherine was growing edgy, which turned into temper. She kicked at the wall. 'What is he waiting for,' she wondered to herself, then jumped when his voice sounded directly in her ear.

"Since you are so bored that you are trying to damage my wall, please do come and attempt to explain your willful disobedience of my orders," he said.

Stepping back to give her room to move, he waited while Katherine turned, smirking slightly as he saw her sidle sideways, trying to keep her backside away from his hand; not that it would have stopped him. Turning to face her, his arms crossed over his chest, he could see her attitude growing and fixed her with the hardest and sternest glare he could muster. He watched as she bit her lip and dropped her gaze to the floor.

Handing her the backpack she had dropped, he ordered "open it."

Her hands trembling, knowing full well what he was guessing, she opened her backpack and handed it to him. She could actually see his anger build as he pulled out the clothes she had worn out of the castle that morning. He emptied the bag, tossing the contents onto the sofa.

"Well?" he said, turning to glare at her again.

He watched as she squared her shoulders and then looked up at him.

"I don't see what the big deal is," she said in an insolent tone. "This is what people my age are wearing these days; it is perfectly acceptable. You are the only one that seems to have a problem and it certainly isn't my fault that you are stuck somewhere in the 17th century."

Severus' eyes narrowed dangerously at her words and tone. He couldn't believe what she had just said. As his gaze got harder, Katherine quailed. She didn't think she had ever seen anyone look that angry before and she dropped her eyes back to look at the floor.

Grasping her chin firmly, he forced her head up to look at him. "Young lady," he said, his voice dangerously soft. "No matter what you think, I gave you specific instructions on what was acceptable attire and what was not, and I have not forgotten the fact that I told you, quite pointedly, to throw away those absolutely indecent clothes when we were at the academy." He looked her up and down scathingly. "There is absolutely nothing left to the imagination when you are dressed in such a fashion. It shows a deep disrespect for yourself as a young woman to dress so and is going to invite disrespect from those around you. While you are my apprentice, and even more so, while you are my ward, you will adhere to the manner of dress I dictate. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" he finished sternly.

"Crystal," she said defiantly, trying to pull her chin out of his hand.

Severus gritted his teeth as his jaw clenched. Without saying a word, he switched his hand to Katherine's wrist, _accioed_ the hairbrush from the sofa, and pulled her into her room and over to the bed. He sat down on the bed and immediately yanked Katherine down over his knees. Having seen him with her hairbrush and knowing full well what he was going to do, Katherine struggled madly, kicking her feet and throwing her hand back to cover her bottom.

"No, you cant do this," she yelled.

Switching position slightly, he put one leg over hers to keep her from kicking and then grabbed her wrist, pinning her hand in the small of her back and used the weight of his arm to hold her down.

"Watch me," he said sternly, just before he brought the brush down on her still jean clad bottom with a loud CRACK.

Katherine yelped in surprise at the sting that blossomed across her bottom. 'Damn,' she thought, 'that HURT!'

Even as Katherine continued to struggle and without saying a word, Severus rained down hard blows with the brush, intent on imparting a very serious lesson on his ward's bottom. After 15 hard and fast strokes, Katherine couldn't hold back her tears and when the count hit 30, she was openly crying, though still struggling. Stopping for a moment, Severus tightened his hold; Katherine wasn't going to like what he was about to do but she had reached the point where the lesson was finally kicking in and he wanted to build on that.

Putting down the brush for a moment, he took out his wand and with a quick flick, Katherine's tight jeans vanished. Expecting a pair of normal panties, Severus instead found his ward clad in something else that left her bottom cheeks completely bare.

"NO!" Katherine yelled. "You can't, not like that!"

Growling, Severus put his wand down and picked the brush back up. Her bottom was already a bright pink from the previous blows with the brush, but he intended for it to be much redder by the time he was through. He had intended only to spank her over her panties, but, maybe the lesson would sink in even more like this. She might actually decide to wear proper undergarments in the future.

He brought the brush down hard as he started to lecture, punctuating his words with even harder blows.

"Your attitude, CRACK needs some serious CRACK adjusting young lady. CRACK. I told you CRACK, quite clearly CRACK that you were to dress CRACK as appropriate CRACK for a young lady CRACK. Not only CRACK do you defy my orders CRACK to throw those clothes away CRACK, you dare CRACK to deceive me CRACK by changing into them CRACK after you leave the castle CRACK.

Severus had to readjust his grip as Katherine howled, trying desperately to get away. She was crying so hard now she could barely breath and she just wanted it to end. Severus knew she was reaching her limit. He put a little more pressure on her back, forcing her head down even further, exposing the sensitive area where her bottom met her thigh. Lightening up a little, he targeted her sit spots, fully intending that she would feel this punishment every time she sat down for the next couple of days. 15 strokes later, Severus finally put the brush down on the table next to the bed. Katherine had quit fighting about half way through and had just collapsed, sobbing as though the world was ending.

Releasing her captured wrist, he gently rubbed her lower back, waiting for her to calm down a little. After several minutes, the desperate sobs eased and this is when Severus gently helped her off his lap, holding on to her to steady her. Just when he thought she was steady, her knees buckled and she fell into his arms. Sighing, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap, spreading his knees slightly so her sore bottom wasn't resting on his leg. He held her, rocking her gently and rubbing her back as she sobbed into his shoulder, her hand fisted in his shirt.

"Easy now," he soothed, as her crying further eased. "Its over. Its OK now."

It took another 10 minutes for Katherine's tears to stop. Knowing he still had two others to deal with and the fact they had been waiting in a corner for 45 minutes now, Severus helped Katherine to lie down, on her side, on the bed. Summoning a cool, damp cloth, he gently wiped her face and neck.

"Lie here for a bit and rest; I'll be back in a little while," he said soothingly. "Close your eyes."

Once her eyes were closed, he picked up the brush and made his way out of his quarters. Walking quickly to the Slytherin dorms, he said the password even before he reached the portrait guarding the entrance, walking into the common room without even hesitating in his steps. Several Slytherin students of various years were seated in the common room, studying or just entertaining themselves when they saw their head-of-house walk in, holding a hairbrush and looking very grim. Not wanting to get involved in anything that involved that hairbrush, the students quickly turned their attention back to whatever they were doing, thanking the stars they weren't the ones in trouble as they saw Severus head up the stairs going to the girls dorm.

By the time Severus emerged 40 minutes later, there were two very repentant Slytherins in the dorm. Severus had given them the same spanking he had given Katherine, adding in restriction to their dorm for the remainder of the weekend, two weeks of grounding and revocation of their Hogsmeade privileges through the end of the term. He had also vanished their atrocious clothing and given them a stern warning that he had better never see such clothing again, in their dorms or anywhere else. Before he left the dorms, he snagged one of the prefects and informed him of the girls' restriction and grounding, asking the prefect to pass the word onto the other prefects. He knew the prefects would closely monitor the girls to make sure they were complying with their punishment.

Walking back to his quarters, he went immediately to check on Katherine. Opening her door, he found that she was sound asleep. Debating with himself for a moment as to whether or not he should wake her in order to issue the same additional punishments he had given the other two, he decided to let her sleep; they could talk later. Walking in, he set her brush down quietly on the bureau and then he gently covered her with a light blanket. Turning around and going back out to the sitting room, he tossed back a quick drink of firewhiskey before settling in his chair.


	16. After A Fall Comes A Hand Up

_Author's Note: The next update may not be ready for a couple of weeks; I am in the middle of three weeks' worth of midterms and each one is going to be the equivalent of a 30 page paper._

_To date, I have 32 people with alerts for the story, but the number of reviews are disappointingly low…bring 'em on! :)_

_A couple of comments were made privately about duplicate alerts that a chapter had been posted, but the chapter had already been read. Despite perusing a chapter several times for spelling and grammar before posting, I occasionally miss until I go back and see the chapter after it has been posted. If I happen to spot some errors, being the perfectionist that I am, I will delete the chapter and repost it after making corrections. If you get a post note and go to read the new chapter, but realize you have already read it, I can pretty much guarantee it was a repost with corrections. My most common errors are flip flopped letters, so spell check won't always pick something up if I do something like spell "from" as "form."_

Chapter 15: After A Fall Comes A Hand Up

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

Severus was sitting quietly, staring into the crackling flames in the fireplace. He had been thinking about the events of that afternoon, trying to decide if he had been too hard on the girls. At the height of the problems with Voldemort, he would have never second guessed his actions, but, seven years had changed him. He had made an effort to interact more with his house students, still strict in his expectations but more open to their problems or other issues that might affect them. While he was not afraid to discipline his students when necessary, he found it harder and harder to ignore their unhappiness afterwards, especially if that unhappiness was readily apparent and lasted longer than a day or so. Still, he couldn't deny what the girls had done. Katherine had willfully disobeyed him, lied to him and given him attitude, barely a week after having been warned, twice, of what such behavior would reap. Rook and Moreau had been willfully disobeying him, and lying to him, for at least a year, a confession gained between stern questions and swats of the brush. Still, the spanking he had given them had been long, hard and, if their reaction was anything to go by, pretty devastating. He was debating rescinding the additional two weeks of grounding, but he refused to relent on the revocation of their Hogsmeade privileges or the restriction to quarters for the rest of the weekend. Despite the harshness of the spanking, those extras weren't going overboard and would hopefully kickstart some serious thinking on better choices.

Katherine opened her eyes and rolled onto her back, just as quickly rolling back to her side with a hiss as her sore bottom made contact with the mattress. Glancing at the clock that was now facing her, she noted it was almost 6. Suddenly, everything came flooding back. Hogsmeade, Snape and that god awful hairbrush. Reaching a hand back to rub gingerly at the lingering soreness, Katherine pouted as she contemplated the revenge she was going to get on Snape for his treatment. Even as she contemplated the height of tortures she was going to inflict, she couldn't help but remember what had gotten her bottom sore in the first place. She couldn't deny she had been disobedient; he had told her at the academy to get rid of the clothes and she had deliberately hidden them, 'ok,' she thought 'I'll give him that one but he said he would only use the hairbrush for lying and I never lied to him.' Slightly toning down the list of tortures, Katherine eased her feet to the floor, rolling off the bed to avoid sitting. Making her way over to her bureau, she slipped into a very loose pair of satin pajamas that doubled as a very casual outfit. Biting her lip, she couldn't help but ease down the bottoms to reveal her backside. Glancing over her shoulder and into the mirror, she expected her bottom to be covered in bruises based on how sore she was feeling, however, all she could find were two tiny bruises high on her right hip, otherwise, her skin was just a medium shade of pink. Grimacing, she pulled the bottoms back up, a little put out that the damage didn't match the soreness. She flushed as she remembered her crying in his arms and clinging to his shirt like a limpet. 'Way to go Katherine. Nothing like acting like a 2-year old' she said to herself scathingly. 'You liked it,' her conscience said. 'It reminded you of mom before......' She angrily wiped away the tear that had fallen as she remembered a time before her parents had thrown her out of the house. 'Shut up,' she groused to her conscience.

Taking out the braid that was now just a mass of loose strands, Katherine picked up the brush that had done so much damage to her ego. A spurt of anger went through her and while she contemplated throwing the brush at the mirror, she instead turned around and threw it across the room, smirking slightly at the satisfying THUNK as it hit the opposite wall, breaking in half. 'First chance I get, that thing is in the fireplace,' she thought. Grabbing a smaller plastic brush out of the bureau drawer, she ran it through her hair to take out the tangles and then, taking a deep breath, she made her way out to the sitting room; she had to face him at some point; 'might as well get it over with,' she thought. Walking into the sitting room she could see Severus sitting in his chair, but rather than reading as was his wont, he was facing the fireplace and seemed to be deep in thought. Katherine stopped, not sure if she should leave him alone or continue into the room.

Severus heard a sound to his right and looked up, seeing Katherine standing in between her room and the sitting room, looking a little uncertain. As his gaze met her eyes, she dropped her gaze slightly, suddenly unable to meet those dark eyes. She suddenly remembered she had yet to apologize for her attitude and disobedience.

Taking out his wand, Severus pointed it at the couch and muttered a cushioning charm.

"Have a seat," he said gruffly, as he turned around and rummaged in a cabinet beside the tall bookshelf.

Blushing, knowing exactly what that charm did, Katherine made her way over to the couch and sat, gingerly, grimacing again as her sore bottom met the couch but knowing it was not as bad as it could have been without that cushioning charm. Her head came up as Severus stepped in front of her, her eyes taking in the potion vial he had in his hand.

"Take this," he said firmly, "it will.......help."

Her eyes widening, she looked between him and the vial for a moment, stunned.

Rolling his eyes at her hesitation he said,

"If you don't take it now I am going to put it away and I will not offer again."

Almost snatching the vial, Katherine popped the small cork and finished the potion in two swallows. Grimacing at the taste of the pain reliever, Katherine grabbed the glass of water Severus offered her and gulped it down. It took only a few moments and Katherine could already feel a difference. Her backside was still sore but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been when she woke up and with the cushioning charm, she was barely even aware of the small amount of pain remaining.

"Thank you, Sir," she said a little shyly.

"Don't get used to it," he said firmly. "For your sake there had better not be a next time, but, if there is, I won't make the same offer."

Flushing again, Katherine dropped her eyes to the floor. 'Now is as good a time as any,' she thought.

"M-Master, I'm sorry," she stuttered, daring to glance up at him.

Severus managed to hide his surprise at the way she had addressed him.

"For what are you apologizing?" he asked sternly.

"I," she started and stopped. "F-for the attitude and for not getting rid of the clothes when you told me to," she said hesitantly.

"Anything else?" he enquired, raising one eyebrow and crossing his arms over his chest in his typical, Professor Snape manner.

She looked at him confused.

"How about lying to me," he hinted. "Or did that slip your mind?"

She jumped up. "I didn't lie, I haven't lied to you!" she said, outraged only to swallow hard as his eyes narrowed and he uncrossed his arms.

"You had better mind your tone young lady,. Sit. Down," he enunciated sternly.

Continuing to glare at her until she complied with his order, he went on.

"Perhaps you have forgotten how you were dressed when you left these quarters?"

"No Sir," she answered stiffly.

"You stood in front of me, properly dressed, while you knew full well you had those, things, in your backpack. You spoke with me, parroting back to me the restrictions I had given you and then you turned and walked out of that door," he said, pointing to the door out of his quarters. "Not 4 hours later, I find you in Hogsmeade not properly dressed. I call that lying. It may not have been a verbal lie but it was a lie none the less. You deceived me when you wore one thing out of the castle, only to change once you were away."

Katherine opened her mouth to offer a defense, only to close it again. She couldn't deny his view but she certainly hadn't seen it as lying. At least now she understood the reason for the brush.

"I-I didn't see it as lying," she offered weakly, dropping her eyes again. "I'm sorry."

"Now you know. The lies you don't say can, and are, just as damaging as the ones you do say," he said, looking at her. "I am also afraid that this is not completely over as yet. That spanking was only a part of your punishment."

Katherine's head came up with a jerk.

"With the exception of meals, you are restricted to your room for the rest of the weekend. You may serve your restriction here or in your dorm; that is your choice. I also hope you enjoyed your foray into Hogsmeade as your Hogsmeade privileges are revoked through the end of term." Katherine opened her mouth, ready to protest, but Severus stayed the outburst with a raised hand.

"I had also meant to ground you for the next two weeks but decided against it. I suggest you think very hard before you speak because if it is anything other than respectful, I will reconsider that decision. " he said firmly. "Now, did you have something to say?"

"What happened to Shiell and Rowan?" Katherine asked, deciding to take the warning.

"Normally I do not discuss another student's punishment, but your partners in crime received the same punishment you did, although I did issue the two weeks of grounding as well. I will have to let them know I have reconsidered."

Katherine didn't know how to respond so she kept quiet. Watching her, Severus could see the defiance had gone.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, his voice much more gentle. "Dinner is nearly over so it doesn't make sense to go to the Great Hall."

"A little," she ventured.

Calling for Carly, Severus asked for a light meal for the two of them. He turned back to Katherine after Carly left and studied her for a moment; she still looked a bit down.

"Katherine, look at me," he said firmly.

Once he had her attention he went on.

"Remember what I said before." He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "When you do something wrong you are punished, and then it is over. Don't dwell on it." he said gently, knowing she needed this closure.

He watched as Katherine closed her eyes briefly, swallowing hard and nodding. Giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze he stepped back. Just at that moment, a platter with a variety of sandwiches appeared on the table, along with the ever present milk and pumpkin juice.

"C'mon brat, time for dinner," he said teasingly.

Feeling a little better, Katherine smiled at his mode of addressing her...she was forgiven. Standing up, she made her way to the table and they proceeded to eat.

A little while later, Severus spoke.

"Have you decided where you wish to spend your restriction?" he asked.

Grimacing at the reminder of the rest of her punishment, she answered him.

"I'd like to stay here if you don't mind," she said.

"Of course," he said. "I need to go to the dorms to talk to your partners in crime to let them know they are not grounded past the weekend. Can I trust you to finish up and then go to your room?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Katherine answered.

She watched as he went back to the same cabinet from which he had retrieved the pain reliever potion. She smiled as he pulled two vials, identical to the one he had given her, from the cabinet and tried, surreptitiously, to hide them in the pocket of his robe. Just as he turned, Katherine hoped she was successful in schooling her features into a serious look.

"I will be back shortly," he said in his best Professor's tone.

"I'll be here," Katherine quipped, barely succeeding in keeping back her laughter.

As Severus stepped out and almost had the door closed, he heard Katherine lose the battle and her laughter rang out. Closing the door silently, he smiled as he made his way to the Slytherin dorms. He had two more snakes that needed some consoling.

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_The initial ice has now been officially broken. Harry will appear in the next few chapters as a mystery is unraveled. Clues have been left in previous chapters as to what the mystery might entail. See if you can figure it out :)_

_Review, Review, Review!_


	17. Troubling News

_Author's Note: Poor Katherine can't catch a break. This occurs roughly two weeks after the Hogsmeade visit. In the next few chapters, you are going to see how the friendship between Harry and Severus began. Master Troyan will make an appearance via a flashback memory from Severus due to Severus being reacquainted with his academy nemesis._

**Content warning for language**_**.**_

Chapter 16: Troubling News

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_Auror Headquarters_

Harry was trying to get through the pile of paperwork sitting on his desk. Due to some rather intense cases of late, including the related paperwork to the cases, plus the general paperwork for the auror office, the various stacks had grown to nightmare proportions and people were starting to send pointed messages that he was behind, again.

'Bloody paperwork," Harry said to himself. 'Ministry seems more interested in keeping everything up-to-date rather than chasing down the bad guys.'

Still grumbling to himself but dutifully filling in the mountains of forms, Harry almost missed the knock at the door.

"Come," he answered absently. He was relieved when Ron walked through the door.

"Hey mate," Ron greeted cheerfully, looking around the office. "I can see the chair again, and even a part of the table over there, you're gaining. Another month or so and you'll be caught up," Ron said with a roguish grin.

"Keep it up buddy and I'll hand you a few piles of your own. You know these cases just as well as I do," Harry said.

"Hmph..no thanks. Hermione said she'd divorce me and murder you if I came home with any more paperwork this month. My house runs smoothly and I don't want to upset the balance."

"Oh well," Harry said, looking around and then looking back at Ron with an evil grin. "This month only has two more weeks so that means I can still give some of this mess to you," Harry laughed at Ron's expression.

Glancing at the folder in Ron's hand, Harry asked.

"Did you come in here for something specific or just to interrupt me and delay me even more?"

Ron handed Harry the folder.

"New information on Snape's apprentice; the owl just came through. The seal matches the American intelligence agency and the magical signature was validated."

Glancing at Ron, Harry noticed the suddenly serious look.

"I take it that it wasn't good news?" Harry asked.

"Read it yourself," Ron advised. "I don't think I can cover it all."

Ron took a seat in the only cleared chair and watched Harry skim the new information. He counted down the seconds to Harry's reaction. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1……."MURDER!" Harry exclaimed.

"Five counts of murder, a warrant for her arrest and a request for immediate extradition?" Harry said incredulously, looking up at Ron. "Severus is going to have kittens."

"Now that I'd like to see," Ron quipped, not having the same friendly feelings towards the potions master. While they had also come to a truce, Ron was still hesitant to extend actual friendship. They were at least civil with each other, but saying that Ron and Severus had a friendship was stretching things a bit.

"It's been seven years Ron," Harry said. "Time to bury the hatchet, and I don't mean in Severus' skull."

Ignoring Harry's comment, Ron asked.

"What are you going to do?"

"For now, the first thing I have to do is tell Severus and talk to Ms Marks; get her side of things. I am not going to just turn her over, not until we have some better information. I'll stall the Americans, let them know we are investigating things on this side for the moment and will keep them informed. I need you to do me a favor though," Harry said, looking at Ron.

"VERY slowly start the extradition process. Drag it out as long as you can. Act like you have no clue how to get one done, bury them with questions and mistakes. I doubt we can avoid the extradition but we can certainly delay it until we get a plan together."

Ron grinned mischievously. "No problem mate. I like messing with those Americans. They are too uptight and take everything so seriously."

"In the mean time, I will meet with Severus; I can't do this by letter. I'll use one of our tracker bracelets to monitor Ms Marks . At least that way we don't have to worry about where we are going to keep her. Her safest place right now is right where she is. Anyone wanting to remove her would have to go through Dumbledore first."

Harry wrote a quick note to Severus and sealed it. Tapping it with his wand, a wide, red line outlined the edge of the envelope. Putting the folder in his desk, he set the locks and placed his wards, then came around the desk holding the letter.

"I'll have Hedwig deliver this to Severus; she will make sure he is the only one to take it from her. Once I get back his response, I may end up at Hogwarts tonight. Keep this close for now Ron. We don't want to stir up the ministry any faster than necessary. "

"You got it mate," Ron said, as they walked through the door.

_Hogwarts_

Severus had just returned to his office after lunch and was getting ready for his afternoon classes when Dunbledore strolled in, a snowy owl sitting on his shoulder.

"Severus," Dumbledore greeted with a smile. "Harry has sent you an urgent message and going by Hedwig's reluctance to allow me to take it, I gather he told her she could only release it to you."

Severus' eyebrow went up but setting down the lesson plan he had been perusing, he walked over to Dunbledore. Approaching the snowy, he gave her chest a gentle stroke before taking the letter from her beak. The fact she was carrying it in her beak rather than around her leg, not to mention the wide red stripe readily visible around the edge of the envelope, lent credence to the point that the missive was urgent.

Opening the envelope, Severus pulled out the single sheet of parchment and read:

_12 October_

_Severus. I need to speak with you and Dumbledore and Ms Marks, in person, on a most urgent matter concerning Ms Marks. I am available at any time and urgently request that we speak today. Hedwig has been instructed to wait for your reply. _

_Respectfully,_

_Harry_

Handing the missive to Dumbledore, Severus waited a moment while he read the short note.

"Well," Dumbledore said smiling. "It seems Harry is going to be paying us a visit. Would 8 pm in my office work for you Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"I will let Harry know. I have three students scheduled for detention but I will re-schedule them for tomorrow instead."

Severus made a note at the bottom of Harry's note.

_Harry, Headmaster Dumbledore and I can accommodate you at 8 pm in his office. Severus._

Resealing the envelope, Severus offered it to Hedwig who took it in her beak with a low hoot.

"I'll take Hedwig and see her off. Until 8 Severus."

"Thank you Albus," Severus murmured as Dumbledore left, his attention suddenly turning inward, wondering what could have shaken Harry.

_Hogwarts: 7:45 PM_

Harry appeared outside the gates of Hogwarts. Sending his patronus ahead to Severus to let him know he had arrived, Harry waited patiently by the gate. As an auror he could have gone in on his own, but, since this wasn't an emergency, manners dictated he wait to be granted entrance. It wasn't long before he saw Severus, still in his teaching robes, walking swiftly to the gate.

"Potter," Severus said with a growl. "You could have opened the bloody gate yourself."

"And miss seeing your smiling face?" Harry quipped.

Tossing Harry a glare that no longer held any power over Harry, Severus opened the gate, ushering Harry inside, before closing and re-securing the gate with a firm tap of his wand. Stalking past Harry without a word, Severus walked swiftly back the way he had come. Harry had to smile as he watched Severus from the back. 'Yep,' Harry thought, 'his robes still bellow out.' Walking fast to catch up to Severus, Harry followed him into the entrance hall. When they reached the staircase that would start the journey to the headmaster's office, Severus stopped and waited for Harry to catch up, smirking slightly.

"What's wrong Potter," he said, as Harry came to his side slightly winded, "out of shape?"

"Hardly," Harry said, catching his breath. "I just hadn't planned on running a marathon without a warm-up, plus you still top me by a good 15 centimeters. Do you always walk that fast?"

"How do you manage to chase down the bad guys?" Severus asked with a smirk. "What do you do, ask them to wait until you warm up?"

"No, I normally toss a _trasslar netto_ at them," Harry smirked. All I have to do is get within striking distance. That spell has a wide range, it's virtually impenetrable, even by fire, and it works really well."

Severus rolled his eyes. "You know your way to the headmaster's office; the new password is 'ice mice.' I need to go collect my apprentice so I will meet you there. Please tell the headmaster I will be there shortly," Severus said, as he turned towards the corridor that led to the dungeons without waiting for Harry's answer.

'Sure Severus, be glad to,' Harry grumbled to himself. Harry quickly made his way through the familiar halls of Hogwarts, nodding to some of the students that were still roaming around. Approaching the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office, Harry gave the password and stepped on to the stairs as they started to spiral up. Crossing the short landing to Dumbledore's door, he knocked and waited.

The door opened and Harry looked into the eyes of the headmaster with a smile, not surprised when he found himself enveloped in a big hug. "Harry my boy, do come in. How are Ginny and the boys?" he asked.

"Fine, all doing well. The boys are driving Ginny and I up the wall but otherwise I can't complain," Harry said with a grin. "Severus asked me to tell you he would be here shortly. He said he had to collect, as he put it, 'his apprentice.' Has he completely terrorized her yet?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore laughed. "You will find that Ms Marks is well capable of handling Severus. There have been a few stumbles but for the most part, they get along well. Severus would never admit it but he is enjoying having an apprentice, especially one as talented as Katherine and the guardianship is going well. Severus has done well with her in the past few weeks and she is starting to act like a 14-year old again, although, I am not sure Severus is so happy about that last part," Dumbledore said with a mischievous grin.

Dumbledore was about to comment further when there was knock on the door.

"Enter," Dumbledore called.

Harry turned around and watched as Katherine walked hesitantly into the room, followed closely by Severus. Severus closed the door and then ushered his apprentice forward until she was standing in front of Harry.

"Katherine, this is Auror Harry Potter," Severus introduced. "Harry, Miss Katherine Marks, my apprentice and ward."

Noticing that his name didn't bring any recognition, Harry glanced at Severus who shook his head slightly in understanding. Katherine wasn't aware of Harry's past.

"Nice to meet you Ms Marks," Harry said, holding out his hand.

Katherine took the pro-offered hand and shook it firmly. "Auror Potter," she said softly.

Dumbledore summoned three comfortable chairs to the front of his desk and gestured for everyone to be seated. Once he took his place, all eyes turned to Harry in expectation. Taking a deep breath, Harry took the shrunken folder out of his pocket and spelled it back to its original size. Not sure who to address, he chose Katherine for the moment. This was going to be hard enough to explain anyway.

"Miss Marks," he began. "When we got word of your situation at the academy, there was the possibility of some issues related to your guardianship transferring to someone here in Britain. In order to make sure there wasn't going to be any problems, it was necessary for me to contact the American Wizard Intelligence Agency, hoping that I could get the guardianship transferred quietly and without any trouble." Harry paused, glancing at Severus and Dumbledore before going on.

"Even though it has been a little over three weeks, I got a letter this morning from the agency. The letter has brought some, issues, that need to be taken care of and quickly," Harry said, trying desperately to figure out away to say this as gently as he could.

"Your parents and siblings died in a fire not too long before you made your way to the academy, is that correct?" Harry asked her.

"Yes sir," she said, glancing at Harry.

"Your previous Master, one, "Harry glanced at the sheet in front of him to make sure he got the name correct, "Master Giovanni Marconi, also died in a fire just a few weeks before the fire at your parent's house?"

"Yes sir," she answered again, puzzled.

Glancing back at Severus and Dumbledore, then turning his attention back to Katherine, Harry told her.

"Miss Marks, Katherine, the intelligence agency has informed me that you are being charged in the deaths of Giovanni Marconi, Julia Marks, Andrew Marks, Sienna Marks and Christopher Marks. They have forwarded an arrest warrant and a request for your immediate extradition back to the states to face the charges," Harry finished, "I'm sorry," he said.

Harry heard gasps from Severus and Dumbledore and he watched as Katherine first blanched white and then flushed an angry red.

"That is a fucking lie,' she yelled as she jumped to her feet, turning her back to Dumbledore's desk and facing Harry with her fists clenched. "Where the hell do you get off coming in here with that, garbage?" she spat.

At her outburst, Severus immediately stood up, towering over her. Grabbing her by the upper arms as he turned her to face him, he gave her one, short, admonishing shake.

"Young lady you will apologize to Auror Potter for your atrocious conduct immediately," Severus said sternly, barely holding on to his temper.

Sobered by her guardian's reaction and looking into his eyes, Katherine's anger melted away and Severus watched as she paled and her eyes filled with tears.

"Master," she said, her voice shaking and tears beginning to make their way down her pale cheeks, "I didn't, I swear I didn't h-hurt them." Feeling Severus' hold gentle, she whirled around towards Dumbledore and said quietly in near desperation, "Headmaster you have to believe me, I d-didn't do a-anything," she said, losing the battle with her tears and breaking down completely.

Severus stepped forward slightly and wrapped his arms around his shaking ward, his arms crossing her chest, as he drew her back.

"Easy Katherine, easy," Severus said gently, curling over her in a protective manner, tightening his hold slightly as she grasped desperately at his arms and laid her head back onto his shoulder, turning her face to the side, crying helplessly.

Harry looked up from where he had been looking at the edge of Dumbledore's desk.

"I'm sorry," Harry said again, looking over to where Severus was trying to calm Katherine. She had turned completely and now had her face buried in Severus' chest as he held her, rubbing her back and talking to her gently.

"I had to tell you. We need to make plans as to how to deal with this before the American agency decides to act on their own," Harry said to Dumbledore.

The two waited while Severus' attention was taken with Katherine. It took several minutes before Katherine made an effort to step back slightly from Severus' hold, calmer but still visibly upset. Drying her face with the handkerchief Severus handed her, she made her way shakily back to her chair and sat down, her eyes glued to the desk in front of her. Severus glanced at Harry before he sat back down himself.

"Please continue Harry," Dumbledore said. "You obviously have a plan started."

Harry nodded. "First, I have Ron working on a way to delay the execution of the extradition request."

"How long," Severus interrupted.

"Given the nature of the charges the American agency isn't going to be patient. If our delay tactics work, we are looking at two weeks, maybe three at the outside. There is no getting around it. Eventually Miss Marks is going to have to make an appearance. The case is further complicated in that it spans both the muggle and the magic communities. The lead agent, a Benjamin," Harry paused glancing at the official request, "Nelson is leading the investigation, however, he indicates that the muggle police are also highly interested in the case. He has an undercover agent in the local police department monitoring the investigation from that side. Agent Nelson is requesting a meeting prior to the extradition hearing to discuss the progress of the case. That meeting is going to be critical to the rest of the case as it could mean the difference between having the charges dropped, or recommending the case be forwarded for trial."

Harry turned to Katherine.

"Miss Marks," he said gently, though his voice was firm.

Katherine looked up at him.

" I need you to write out everything you can remember about the events leading up to both fires. Don't concentrate on just that time. Go back to anything you might feel is important. People you saw, people you might have observed even if you didn't speak to them, conversations, thoughts, feelings, anything. The more detail you can give me, the better chance we can find something that will clear you. I could use Veritaserum to help the investigation even now but, given the depth of the charges, it might be better to wait until either the meeting with agent Nelson, or the extradition hearing. That way, they can't accuse us of changing anything."

"How soon do you need it," Katherine asked quietly.

"The sooner the better. I need as much time as possible to do our own investigation before that meeting with agent Nelson."

Harry looked at Katherine, then Dumbledore and finally Severus. Pulling out the tracking monitor from his pocket, Harry held it up.

"Miss Marks, in the interest of keeping the American agency, satisfied, I am going to place a tracking monitor on you. This tracker is normally used for people serving house arrest to ensure their compliance with the restrictions. Normally, the offender is restricted to the physical confines of the dwelling, however, I am going to adjust the range to accommodate your classes outside of the castle. This is the only way you can retain your freedom at this point. You do not have to agree to the tracker, but, if you don't, I would be forced to take you into custody. Since the ministry does not have a place to hold temporary defendants, it would mean going to Azkaban until the extradition, and that is the last place I would want to put you. There are some additional conditions of the tracker that I will pass to Professor Snape if you agree to monitoring." Harry finished.

"I will agree," Katherine said, "but I don't see a reason to monitor when I didn't DO anything," she finished bitterly.

Harry turned to Severus. "As her appointed guardian I need your permission to place the tracker."

"Granted," Severus said, with a glance at Katherine. "Katherine has agreed so I see no reason to deny her that right."

He turned back to Katherine. "Which is your writing hand?" he asked.

"Right."

"I need your left hand then please," Harry said.

Katherine held out her left hand, extending her arm slightly. Harry could see her hand shaking. Taking it gently in his grip, he slid the tracking bracelet over her hand and placed it on her wrist. Tapping it with his wand, the bracelet shrank until it was snug, but not tight.

"How does that feel, not too tight?" Harry asked Katherine.

"Feels OK," Katherine said, a note of dejection in her voice."

Harry tapped the bracelet again, muttering a very long string of Latin. Once he was finished, the bracelet glowed for a moment before fading back to its original color.

Katherine looked at the bracelet with loathing. It looked innocuous enough. Gold and silver in color, two flat chains were interwoven, giving the bracelet an appearance of a simple piece of jewelry. Unless someone knew of the bracelet, no one would be aware of its true purpose, 'no one except me,' Katherine thought.

Harry tapped his wand gently against the edge of Dumbledore's desk and a few sheets of parchment appeared. He picked these up and handed them to Severus.

"These are the tracker parameters including the range of allowance and Ron and I will be the only two to have access to the tracking records. If the monitoring alarm shows the tracker has gone out beyond the range allowance longer than 5 minutes, one of us will arrive to investigate. The ministry may not be aware of its use but we still need to keep up with the laws regarding its use so that we can also track compliance, or the lack thereof," he said, leveling a mildly stern look in Katherine's direction.

"Ms Marks, I am going to do everything I can to help in this. This is not going to go away overnight, but, as long as you are telling me the truth there is nothing to worry about. Hogwarts is the safest place for you right now. No one can remove you without going through Headmaster Dumbledore. Do you have any questions for me?" Harry asked her.

"No sir, not right now anyway."

"Ok then, I think I am finished here. I will keep you informed of any developments as the investigation proceeds. Miss Marks, you can send me your statement once you have it completed. Make sure to restrict delivery only to me or to my partner, Ron Weasley; we don't want anyone else getting wind of this just yet. Eventually the ministry will have to be informed but the longer we can delay that, the more time I have to do my own investigation without having the ministry breathing down my neck," Harry said wryly.

As Harry stood in preparation for leaving, he heard Katherine's voice.

"Auror Potter," she said quietly. Harry turned to face her.

"I apologize for my outburst earlier. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did," she said quietly, not quite meeting Harry's eyes.

"It's OK," Harry said with a smile. "I've done the same thing many times."

Severus snorted at this and Harry just grinned at him.

"Something to say professor?" Harry asked with his old student cheek.

"Not in present company," Severus said, as Dumbledore laughed.

Harry turned to Katherine with a conspiratorial wink.

"He's not so bad once you get him trained," Harry told her.

"Potter, not another word," Severus growled, "or I will tell young Mr Lupin the most embarrassing stories about you I can come up with, even if I have to make something up."

Harry just laughed as Katherine smiled at their banter.

"Headmaster, my best. I am sure we will be talking again very soon."

"Thank you for your time Harry; your attention to this is most appreciated. Do give my love to Ginny and the boys," he added.

"I will, goodnight all."

"With your leave headmaster I will see Potter safely out of the gates," Severus stated, "I wouldn't want him to get lost," Severus smirked. "Katherine, you are free to return to either Slytherin house or our quarters. You only have about 30 minutes until curfew." Severus told her.

Harry rolled his eyes and followed Severus out of Dumbledore's office, noticing that Severus looked worried. The fact that Harry could see that he looked worried was strange in and of itself. Once they got to the gate, and before Harry went through, he turned to Severus.

"Severus, try and relax a bit. Ron and I are going to do everything we can. I am more worried about Katherine's mental and emotional state; she is going to need your support."

"I will take care of my apprentice Harry, she will be all right," Severus returned.

"If you need me for anything, you know how to get a hold of me. I'll be in touch," Harry said, as he walked through the gate.

"Goodnight Severus," Harry said just before he apparated.

"Goodnight Harry," Severus said to the spot where Harry had been standing a split second before.

He locked the gate and walked slowly back to the castle.

****************************************************************************

trasslar netto: tangling net


	18. Healing the Wounds

_Author's Note__**: Happy Half-Blood Prince Day**_

_In this chapter, you are going to see a little of the earlier interactions between Harry and Severus and probably one of the main reasons for the depth of friendship they now hold. Since DH didn't really give an obvious date of the final battle, other than the fact it took place after the start of the new school year, I estimated the timing. _

**Content warning for spanking and mild language**

Chapter 17: Healing the Wounds

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_Godrics Hollow_

Harry appeared just in front of the fence that surrounded his home, tired and worried. While he had been confident of his actions while speaking with Dumbledore, Severus and Katherine, he really wasn't at all sure how he was going to get Katherine out of this mess. Walking into the house, he was greeted by Ginny who took one look at his face and stepped into his arms. He held her for a minute, "boys in bed?" he asked her.

Ginny nodded against his chest, "James went down about an hour ago, Teddy has been asleep about 15 minutes," she said. "Neither one of them wanted to go to bed until you got home." She stepped back and looked up at him.

"You OK?" she asked softly. Harry had briefly told her of the case but hadn't really given her the big details.

"I probably will be," he smiled down at her. "It's going to be a little complicated though."

Keeping his arm around Ginny's waist, he steered her into the sitting room and over to the large couch. Sitting down, he held Ginny as she leaned her back against his chest, his arms crossed in front of her.

"Katherine took the news as hard as I thought she would," he said. "Severus was really good with her though. He's changed so much over the past few years. Instead of barking at her when she broke down, like he would have before, he offered support; actually held her until she was steady enough for us to continue talking. He didn't seem uncomfortable with it either. Then again, he was the old Professor Snape when she first reacted to the news. She was very angry and not at all careful as to how she was speaking. Severus nearly came unglued."

"He still has a reputation to maintain you know," she giggled as Harry tickled her playfully in remonstration.

"Have some respect woman," Harry mock growled. "If you think about it, without his influence, we might never have been."

"What do you mean," Ginny asked curiously.

"Do you remember when Ron, Hermione and I came back for 7th year? Do you remember what I was like?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Remember??" she said sarcastically. "I was ready to drop you head first off the Astronomy tower; Voldemort would have been better company." Ginny gentled her tone somewhat. "The only reason you are still alive is because I knew what you had gone through. Your, moods, were understandable. I also remember that you refused, rather rudely I might add, anyone's invitation for the Christmas break. When we came back though, you were different, more like the old Harry we were used to." Harry nodded as he kissed her gently on top of her head.

"That was Severus' doing."

_Flashback, 14 months after the final battle_

Harry watched sadly as Ron, Hermione and Ginny left for Hogsmeade to board the train to go home for the Christmas break. He deeply regretted his outburst from that morning, and the fact that he hadn't apologized or tried to patch things over before they left. Now, it would hang over all four of them over the next two weeks until they were all back together at Hogwarts. Harry didn't know what was wrong. He felt like he had back in 5th year when Voldemort had been growing stronger and had invaded Harry's dreams. Back then, he had been like a constantly burning short fuse; ready to blow at almost anything. He had been so angry, all the time. Despite the fact the war had effectively ended 14 months ago, the anger was back and Harry, for the life of him, couldn't understand why. He could tell that Ginny had been hurt when Harry refused her's and Ron's invitation to spend Christmas at the Burrow. He hadn't just refused either, no, he had yelled at Ginny and told her to just leave him the hell alone. The memory of the look on Ginny's face still cut him to the quick. Ron had gone off on him afterwards and even Hermione had given him the cold shoulder. Immediately after, Harry had told himself he didn't care what they thought but now…..

Turning around and wiping at a tear that had somehow found its way down his cheek, Harry wanted to make his way back to Gryffindor tower. The castle was all but deserted now, most of the students had gone and the few remaining students and a handful of staff were all that remained. Harry knew that no other Gryffindors had stayed behind so he had the tower literally to himself, to brood in for the next two weeks. Problem was, it was the last day of classes before the break, potions had been his last class of the day and his temper had gotten the best of him when his potion didn't quite come up to Snape's almost impossible standards. After enduring a scathing put down by Snape in front of the other N.E.W.T. students, Harry had lost his temper, again, and had swept the still full cauldron to the floor, splashing the ruined potion everywhere, barely avoiding hitting any of the other students. Silence had reined in the room while everyone held their breath, looking expectantly at Professor Snape and waiting for the explosion.

Maybe not so much of a surprise to the class, Professor Snape had been too angry to actually explode. He had very visibly kept a hold of his temper and told Harry through tightly clenched teeth that since he was staying for the break, he could spend his first night in detention. Still feeling angry but allowing his teenage self-preservation instinct to kick in, Harry had not bothered to acknowledge the order, but had simply sat back down until class ended. Now, it was just 15 minutes before the start of his detention and Harry had a feeling it wouldn't be a detention spent just writing lines or cleaning cauldrons. Somehow, the very fact that Snape had acted almost unSnapelike in not blowing a fuse, made it that much harder to actually walk to what Harry thought was to be his doom.

Wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on the side of his trousers, Harry knocked on the hard wooden door.

"Get in here Potter," Snape's muffled snarl came through the door.

Swallowing hard, Harry walked in, closing the door gently behind him.

Harry spotted a bucket of water and a stiff bristled brush in front of Snape's desk.

Looking back up at Snape, Harry had a feeling he knew what his detention was going to be.

"Start scrubbing Potter. This floor had better be so clean you could eat off of it."

Harry walked up and grabbed the bucket so forcefully that some of the water sloshed over the side, acting like a match and starting the slow burn of that fuse on his anger again. Taking a deep breath to try and contain the anger that was threatening to burst out, Harry carried the bucket to the back of the room where his cauldron still lay on the floor. Picking up the cauldron and putting it back on the desktop, Harry kneeled down on the hard stone floor and started scrubbing.

Three hours later and several snarling insults as to the quality of his scrubbing, Harry finished up the last corner. Dropping the brush into the bucket, Harry stood, groaning at his aching knees and back. Professor Snape had walked out a half hour ago, mumbling something Harry couldn't quite make out; Harry had assumed Snape was telling him to keep working and he would be back. Just as Harry was putting away the bucket, the door to Snape's office opened.

Snape peered into the lab and snorted. Looking at Harry he inadvertently set Harry off again with his words.

"Took you long enough Potter. I suppose the job was completed adequately, but really, such a simple chore and you still can't get it right."

Harry snapped.

"Fuck off," he yelled and almost without realizing, Harry pulled back his right hand and making a fist, brought it forward intent only on knocking Snape flat.

His instincts good, Snape dodged the blow, but Harry's fist connected with Severus' shoulder just enough that Severus was knocked off balance. As he stumbled, Harry turned and started towards the door.

Quickly regaining his balance by grabbing onto the nearest desk, Severus had his wand in his hand almost instantly as he threw a charm at the lab door, locking it securely just as Harry put his hand on the handle.

"Oh no you don't Potter, not after that little display," Severus snarled at him.

Not waiting for Harry to even try and walk back, Snape walked up to Harry and grabbed his arm, all but dragging him back to his office. Harry fought the entire way, kicking at Snape, trying to pry Snape's hand away from his wrist and using every swear word he could think of, his anger just boiling over. Severus was actually surprised at just how hard Harry was fighting. Anger was one thing but this was a bit much, even for Harry.

Severus winced at a particularly hard kick to his ankle. "Potter, kick me again and I'll lock you in the tower until the day you graduate, which if you keep up with this tantrum, won't be until you are 40!"

Maintaining his hold on Harry, Severus walked them through his office and into his private quarters. Releasing Harry's wrist, Severus locked the door. In almost the same instant, Harry picked up the nearest object, which happened to be a pitcher of water, and threw it at Severus. Having been surprised from the action, Severus managed to step sideways just in time to keep from getting hit in the head, but the pitcher caught his shoulder, showering him with the water. Snape was uninjured but, unfortunately for Harry, he was a lot angrier than he had been.

Harry had seemed surprise at his own actions and was standing there looking at his now incensed Professor, too shocked to actually move. He jumped when Snape crossed to him in three long strides and grabbed Harry's arm in one hand while grabbing an armless chair with the other. Plonking the chair in a clear area, Snape sat down and yanked Harry down hard over his lap. Suddenly realizing where this was leading, Harry started struggling, yelping when Severus inadvertently put too much pressure on his right arm trying to subdue him, wrenching Harry's shoulder.

Using his wand to bare Harry's bottom, Snape transfigured the quill sitting on the desk into a sturdy ruler. Accioing the ruler to him, Snape caught it deftly and in one smooth action, brought it down with a resounding 'CRACK' on Harry's bottom. Too angry to really feel the sting, Harry continued to struggle and curse.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm his own anger, Severus landed ten hard cracks before Harry finally stopped struggling, the sting and burning in his backside beginning to break through the anger. Sensing a slight change, Severus started to lecture Harry, interspersing his words with biting cracks of the ruler.

"You have been on thin ice all term Potter," Severs said sternly, bringing the ruler down again. "Your grades have been abominable, 'CRACK,' your attitude and temper is worse than it has ever been 'CRACK' and you have the unmitigated 'CRACK' gall 'CRACK' to actually 'CRACK' try 'CRACK' and 'CRACK' punch 'CRACK' me 'CRACK'! I would remind you 'CRACK' that physical violence 'CRACK' against a teacher 'CRACK' calls for automatic 'CRACK' expulsion! 'CRACK.'

Pausing a moment, Severus listened to Harry silently. Still not hearing what he wanted to hear, Severus went on. While the start of the punishment had been just that, Severus was now looking for the cause of the anger. Shifting Harry slightly forward, Severus cracked the ruler down swiftly, a half dozen times, on the area where Harry's bottom met his thighs. This action seemed to put a serious crack in the dam of Harry's emotions and he started crying. A few more cracks and Harry started sobbing and babbling. Severus was aware that Harry was saying something and he stopped for a moment in an effort to make out what Harry was saying.

"I'm s-sorry, I couldn't save them, I-I t-tried. I-I'm sorry. I-I w-wanted to save them, I-I tried so h-hard" Harry sobbed brokenly.

Severus drew in a startled breath.

Putting the ruler down, Severus re-dressed Harry and helped him to stand. Holding Harry by the upper arms, Severus meant to continue the lecture, but, when he looked into Harry's eyes, what he saw made his heart ache and the scalding words died in his throat. Harry was shaking with the force of his crying, his face soaked with the tears that were still falling freely. But his eyes, they showed, pain. Not pain from the spanking he had just received, this was a deeper pain, this was raw pain, this was pure emotion. Severus realized something at that moment, Harry was in agony. Severus' anger faded away as though it had never been as he released Harry's arms. Holding his arms opened slightly in silent invitation, he was still surprised when Harry all but fell into them, clinging to Severus and sobbing into his chest. Wrapping his arms around Harry, he held him tight, rubbing his back with one hand while the other gently held Harry's head to his chest.

Severus didn't speak, allowing Harry to cry freely for as long as he needed to. It took many long minutes and just when Severus was about to summon a calming draught, Harry's sobs eased back. Gently pushing Harry back a little, but still holding him, Severus looked into his eyes again. Harry was calmer though his eyes still held a hint of pain.

"Potter, Harry, what is it?" Severus asked.

Shaking his head Harry laid it back on Severus' chest, taking deep breaths of air to try and control his crying. Moving them both over to the couch, Severus eased them down, continuing to hold Harry and eventually, Harry fell asleep in Severus' arms, completely exhausted.

Harry awoke the next morning, yawning and stretching, then wincing at the sting across his bottom and the headache thrumming behind his gritty eyes. Wrinkling his brow in confusion, Harry was trying to figure out why his backside was stinging when suddenly it hit him and he groaned. 'Oh no' he thought to himself. 'I didn't just cry all over Snape.' Tossing the covers back, he looked over at the table sitting to his right and spotting his glasses, he slipped them on. He looked down and saw that he was wearing a set of green satin pajamas, 'typical Slytherin' Harry thought amused, realizing that Snape must have carried him in to the room after he had fallen asleep the night before.

Slipping out of the bed and putting his feet on the floor, Harry quickly stood as the sting in his bottom flared again. Rubbing his bottom gently, Harry made his way to the bathroom he could see from where he was standing. Once he came out of the bathroom, he looked around for his clothes. Grumbling slightly when he couldn't find them, he made his way out to the sitting room where he found Severus seated in an armchair, reading the Daily Prophet in front of a roaring fire wearing his dressing gown and slippers, a large mug of coffee at his elbow. Severus looked up as Harry hesitantly entered the room. Putting down the paper he was reading, he looked at Harry for a moment.

"Feeling better?" he asked him.

"Hm," Harry said vaguely, not sure what to say to the man who had spanked him and then held him until he had fallen asleep. To say Harry was feeling embarrassed was an understatement.

Severus was the first to break the ice.

"We are going to talk," he said firmly, "but I think you need breakfast and maybe some more sleep. You still look exhausted."

"I'm not tired, though I do have a headache, but, I think I'll be fine after a shower," Harry said.

Severus stood up and walked over to a cabinet. Opening it, he rummaged around for a second before bringing out a vial, which he handed to Harry.

"Hemlock?" Harry questioned.

"You aren't getting off that easy," Severus returned. "It's for your headache."

Harry uncorked the vial and tossed it back, grimacing at the taste.

"Go take a shower," Severus told Harry. "I'll have a house elf get some clothes for you; they'll be on the bed. Breakfast will be waiting once you are ready."

"I'm not hungry," Harry grumbled, as he turned back to the door leading to the bedroom he had just left.

"Never the less you will eat," Severus said firmly from behind him.

Harry came back into the sitting room 20 minutes later, wearing a loose fitting pair of jeans and the jumper Mrs Weasley had knitted him for Christmas last year. Severus was already at the table, having dressed himself, where a large platter of assorted breakfast items had appeared.

"Sit down and eat," Severus told him as he entered the room.

The shower had helped with the lingering ache on his backside but eyeing the hard chairs at the table, Harry was reluctant to accommodate Snape's request.

"I said I wasn't hungry."

"And I said you were going to eat regardless, now. sit. down." Severus enunciated, his voice growing stern.

Harry sat carefully in the chair directly across the table from Severus, wincing slightly. Not looking up at Snape, Harry took a small helping of eggs and sausage and somehow managed to clean his plate, even though Severus continued to watch him silently. His stomach rolling with nerves, Harry just wanted to get out of Snape's presence.

Harry stood up. "Thanks for breakfast, I'll just get going now."

"I don't think so," Severus interjected smoothly. "After last night's little display, I think you owe me an explanation for your behavior, not to mention an apology."

Harry flushed again as Snape's words brought back the memory of the punch and the pitcher. Harry knew he needed to apologize, but, he couldn't get the words out, so he remained silent.

"Nothing to say huh," Severus taunted. "You seemed pretty vocal last night. Be thankful that I am considering that spanking as payment for everything or you would have a mouth full of soap right now," he scolded. ."If you ever attack me, or any teacher for that matter, again, or talk to me the way you did last night, of age or not, I will make that spanking look like a massage. Do you hear me?" he finished sternly.

Going even redder, Harry muttered, "Yes sir."

Severus stood up and made his way over to his chair, gesturing for Harry to take a seat on the couch.

Harry still couldn't meet Snape's eyes so he contented himself with staring into the fire. Despite his earlier assertions, he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. His eyes were feeling heavy and a deep weariness was beginning to make itself felt.

"Potter, look at me," Severus said.

Harry reluctantly looked up.

"What is going on in that head of yours?" Severus asked.

Harry shrugged, he really didn't want to talk about this. "I don't want to talk about it OK?" he said a little belligerently. "It's no big deal."

"I disagree," Severus snapped. "You have been walking around all term a hair's breadth from verbally, if not physically, attacking anything or anyone who dares to say anything. You have all but alienated the people you have called friends for many years. You have been disrespectful and argumentative to me and the other staff members despite detentions, extra homework and loss of points; do I need to go on?" Severus finished. "I thought I told you to look at me" Severus said sternly, as Harry dropped his eyes to the floor again. When Harry looked up at him, Severus went on. "What you have to realize is that no matter what you are going through right now, you don't have to do it alone and you can't remain quiet. Whatever is happening is eating you alive and until you talk about it to someone, things aren't going to improve."

Harry bristled. "Why the hell should I talk when no one gives a damn what I am feeling or why. People don't seem to have a problem coming to me for help or to ask something of me, but they are suddenly busy elsewhere if I might need something in return," he blurted.

Severus thought he heard a clue in Harry's last sentence, but he wasn't entirely sure.

"Elaborate," Severus said.

Harry sighed as he leaned back on the couch.

"Nothing," he muttered.

"Harry, it is not 'nothing', not in what I think I am hearing and obviously not in your mind either. What happened to put you in this state?" Severus asked, his voice firm, but gentle.

Harry felt a lump in his throat and stared into the fire again. He really didn't want to talk about this but he also knew Snape wasn't going to let him go, at least not until Harry humiliated himself completely. He opened his mouth and then hesitated.

"Let me help you Harry," Severus coaxed gently.

"I," Harry stopped, closing his eyes. Severus waited patiently.

"I have felt angry all term and I don't know why. Voldermort is gone, everything is OK again, yet, I feel always on edge, just like I did two years ago when Voldemort was invading my dreams," Harry said quietly. "I was fine after that last night, when Voldemort was finally defeated, or as fine as anyone could be. We were all mourning people," Harry stopped for a moment, returning his gaze into the fire. He was speaking almost absently, as though detaching himself from what he was saying.

"In the weeks following, so many people were buried. Family members kept asking me to speak at their loved one's funerals; I went to as many of the funerals as I could, I owed that to them at least, but I couldn't get to all of them, there were just too many. Some were mad when I couldn't make it. All those faces of the people I failed to save," Harry whispered brokenly.

Severus sat stunned at Harry's last words, the words Harry had been whispering when he was over Severus' knees made sense now.

"Harry," Severus said gently. "There were bound to be losses. The battle that night was intense and the situation was dangerous. Everyone that fought that night knew the dangers and the possible consequences. They had a chance to make the decision not to fight, to stay safe somewhere else, but they made the decision to support what was happening. You were the prime instrument in the death of Voldemort and if anything, the wizarding world owes you a great debt." A thought struck Severus.

"When you went to those funerals, did anyone ever ask you how you were doing?"

Harry looked up. "Why would they?"

Severus groaned inwardly, now understanding.

"They thanked me for coming but otherwise stayed with their families."

Severus was angry again, not at Harry, but at all the unfeeling and selfish people Harry had dealt with over the course of a few weeks. They had obviously all wanted the prestige of having Harry present at the funeral, but couldn't take the time to make sure Harry was actually emotionally up to the task. No wonder he was lashing out.

"Harry, don't you understand? It was wrong of people to expect you to be there for them when they couldn't be bothered to make sure you were holding up. You weren't absent that last night, you were in the thick of things and probably saw more than anyone. You needed time to come to grips with everything you had gone through yet people were selfish and unfeeling in demanding your time and attention. You were upset and hurting at the time but eventually, over the course of passing time, your holding in that hurt to avoid possibly hurting anyone else's feelings by admitting you couldn't be there for them, turned into anger and that isn't unusual," Severus finished gently, standing up and moving over to the couch where Harry sat, his head in his hands and shoulders hunched.

Putting his hand under Harry's chin, he applied gentle pressure until Harry was looking up at him with eyes drowning in unshed tears. Even as Severus watched, the tears overflowed and ran silently down Harry's cheeks.

Sitting down next to Harry, Severus put his arm around Harry's shoulders; using his hand to gently pull Harry's head to his shoulder. The action was too much for Harry's fragile emotions, the sobs breaking out again as he hid his face in the white shirt Severus was wearing, finally letting go of the anger, and the pain.

_Present Time_

Harry could feel Ginny shaking a little and he tightened his hold.

"I stayed with Severus throughout the Christmas break. He threatened, cajoled and more or less forced me to talk things out. I ended up over his knee twice more and ended up eating soap in the course of things, as my language and attitude during that time left a lot to be desired on occasion, but, he never gave up Ginny. He made sure that when break was over, I was able to handle being around people and not feel so angry with everyone."

Ginny twisted around on Harry's lap and Harry was stunned to see tears on her cheeks.

Gently wiping away her tears with his finger, he asked her "What's wrong sweetheart?"

"You never said anything to any of us. Mum, Dad, Ron, me. You were there for all of us and you seemed so strong. It never occurred to any of us that you were hurting too, but, we should have realized," she said miserably, laying her head on Harry's chest and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You were different," Harry said gently, as he rubbed her back, kissing her forehead. "Being there for you and Ron and Mum and Dad was different then trying to be there for people who I didn't love, and in some cases, barely even knew. I was trying to make up for failing to protect the people they loved, and at the time, didn't realize I was resenting the fact that they didn't try to make me understand that it wasn't my fault." Harry continued to hold Ginny for a while, rocking her gently, taking comfort in her presence and her unending support.

"C'mon sweetheart, time for bed," Harry said after an hour or so, kissing her forehead.

Walking down the short hall, they both made a quick check on the two sleeping boys and then making their way to their own room, they fell asleep in each other's arms.


	19. Slytherin Antics

Just a filler for the next chapter :)

Chapter 18: Slytherin Antics

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

Severus walked back into the castle after seeing Harry safely away. Just as he entered the main door, he heard Nearly Headless Nick warning a group of Gryffndors that it was only 10 minutes to curfew. The rules for his Slytherins were a little more strict. He allowed his fourth years and up to utilize the library up until a ten minute warning prior to curfew but the younger students were required to be in the common room at least 15 minutes prior to final curfew. Making his way back to his quarters, he was confident he would not find any younger students lurking, although he might see one or two from the upper years coming from the library. No matter what year, however, all the Slytherin students knew better than to be caught out after curfew unless the castle was on fire or someone was deathly ill.

He was lost in his thoughts of the evening events when he turned into the last corridor leading to his quarters. He was trying to decide how to approach Katherine when he stopped short, just in time to keep from running into a short, Slytherin student carrying an armload of books; an armload that was all but blocking his vision and making walking hazardous.

"Mr McCuithbert", Severus drawled, "do look where you are going."

Attempting to gain the boy's attention, Severus unfortunately succeeded. The boy, startled at the sudden appearance of his head-of-house immediately lost his hold on the books he was carrying and dropped them, watching in horror as they spread across the corridor, one tome landing at Severus' feet.

Biting his lip as he glanced up, Ian saw Severus bend down slightly to pick up the book that had just about landed on his feet. Glancing at the title, Severus leveled an admonishing glare on his wayward student.

"Kindly explain to me," Severus said sternly, "why you are not in your common room and why you have," Severus glanced at a few more titles, "seven books out of the restricted section which are forbidden to anyone under fifth year?"

Ian dropped his gaze slightly, not quite brave enough to meet Severus' eyes.

"IwastoldtogetthemoutofthedefenseclassroomwhereSimmonsleftthemhesaidifIdidn'the'dtellyouIwasoutaftercurfew," Ian said in a rush.

Severus sighed inwardly. Simmons again. The sixth year was back to his bullying ways despite Severus' many stern lectures and harsh punishments.

Glancing at the boy who's eyes were again on the floor, Severus reached out a hand and gently, but firmly, tipped the boy's chin so he was forced to look at Severus.

"You are out of quarters nearly an hour past first year curfew and 30 minutes past lights out. I will accompany you to the common room to speak with Mr Simmons and YOU will go to bed. I will speak with you in the morning," Severus said, his voice only slightly less stern as he released the boy's chin.

Putting a hand firmly on the boy's shoulder, Severus steered him towards the common room.

Reaching the common room portal, Severus said the password, passing through the stone arch as the portrait opened, barely slowing his stride. As he suspected, Simmons and his bunch of bullying friends were sitting in front of the fireplace, laughing and enjoying themselves and talking about how they had gotten the first year into trouble.

"There is no way he can make it back here before final curfew. Old Filch is guaranteed to find him. I can hear the little brat now..'Oh please Mr Filch.....', as the three laughed at the whining imitation. "Snape will have his hide tacked to his door by morning."

Severus cleared his throat, loudly, his hand still on Ian's shoulder, not allowing the boy to escape just yet. All noise ceased as the three sixth years turned around, paling as they saw Severus and then McCuithbert.

Seeing that he now had their attention, Severus spoke to the still trembling, and very embarrassed, first year. "Off to bed Mr McCuithbert. I want to see you in my office at 9 sharp tomorrow morning."

Ducking his head, happy to get away from the glares being leveled on him by the three sixth years, Ian muttered a quiet "yes sir" and made his way quickly to his dorm.

Turning back to the older boys, Severus spoke, his voice deadly.

"Mr Adams, I will see you in my office tomorrow morning at 7am, Mr Flynn at 7:30 and Mr Simmons at 8. I will also see all three of you in the potions classroom every night at 7pm, starting tomorrow, for the next three weeks. I believe I was quite clear the last time this happened, what would happen if this bullying continued. I will not have you bullying the younger students to the point they are afraid of their own shadow again. This will end, and I do mean immediately and I will make that VERY clear to all of you tomorrow morning. You are all restricted to your dorm until your meeting time with me," Severus snapped. "Get to bed, NOW!"

All three quickly left the common room, nearly tripping over each other as they scrambled to get to the relative safety of their dorm and away from their very ticked off head-of-house.

Not trusting the boys not to take revenge once he had left, Severus placed a detection ward across the sixth year boy dorms to alert him if any of them left. He would have to let the prefects know so they could keep an eye out for any trouble. Going back out of the stone portal, Severus addressed the portrait guarding the entrance.

"Please tell the prefects as they come in that the sixth year boy dorms are warded. Mr Simmons, Mr Adams and Mr Flynn are not allowed to leave their dorms until morning, is that clear?"

"I will let them know Professor," the portrait said respectfully.

Severus nodded and turning, he walked back down the hall, picking up the books that still lay scattered. Shaking his head, he made his way back to his quarters.

Opening the door, he found Katherine sitting at his desk, furiously scratching at some parchment. Stepping in and closing the door behind him, with just enough emphasis to gain Katherine's attention, he watched as Katherine finished whatever she was writing and looked up at him.

"Professor," she said quietly. "I was just, uhm, writing out what Auror Potter requested."

Severus didn't say anything right away but he noticed the shaking in Katherine's hands.

Calling for Carly, Severus requested some tea be brought. Once Carly popped out, Severus gestured to Katherine.

"Come over here and sit down," he said firmly, gesturing to the couch.

Getting up form behind the desk, Katherine made her way obediently over to the couch and sat down, still not meeting Severus' eyes. Severus watched as she clutched her hands together tightly, her knuckles white from the pressure. A tray with a pot of steaming tea appeared on the table and Severus took a minute to fix both himself, and Katherine a cup, handing her the steaming mug before taking his seat in his favorite armchair.

"Thanks," Katherine murmured, still not looking up.

Severus was silent as he studied his apprentice. The evidence of her earlier tears were still visible on her all too pale face. Her hands were grasping the mug in her hand, using it to keep her hands steady.

"Katherine," he said firmly, "look at me."

He waited patiently as her eyes finally met his.

"I know this has to be....difficult and I won't lie and tell you it will be all right..I do not have that kind of vision. What I can tell you is that I and Auror Potter and everyone else here at Hogwarts will do everything they can to help you through this to its ultimate conclusion. You are not alone."

Katherine shrugged. "I appreciate it Sir but how can this possibly end well. All the "witnesses" that could clear me are dead, there is overwhelming evidence and I have nothing for a defense save a pitiful attempt at trying to remember every word I uttered, every move I made and people I may or may not have seen, over the past year in the somewhat vague hope that MAYBE it will convince people I am innocent. I am not stupid here. I have already been tried and found guilty by both the wizard and muggle communities in the US. It's done," she finished bitterly, setting her cup on the low table in front of her and getting up to pace the room in agitation.

Severus set his cup down as well and stood, capturing Katherine's arm in his hand and turning her to face him. Grasping both of her arms now, he gave her one gentle, but firm shake, to get her attention. Leaning down a bit to get more on her eye level, he said:

"Katherine, you are sadly mistaken if you think I am going to give up this quickly. Right now, your only job is to make sure that statement is as complete as possible so that Auror Potter can do his job. As much as it pains me to say it, he is the best there is Katherine and if anyone can find a vague truth, he can. He is not going to give up and neither am I. What is important is that YOU do not give up either. We did not use Veritaserum in the headmaster's office for a reason and that is our positive point. Under Veritaserum, there can be no doubt as to what you are saying."

"But the muggles......" she started,

"Can be manipulated by the wizarding community if need be. Clearing you in the US is going to go a very long way to clearing you here for your rather unorthodox methods of gaining admission to the university."

Severus dropped his hands and looked at Katherine as she took a deep breath.

"May I just go to bed?" she asked.

"Of course," Severus said, putting his hand on her shoulder again and giving her a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be up for a bit yet so if you need to talk, I am here. I do have some...unpleasantness, to take care of in the morning dealing with Slytherin students, so, I would ask that you remain in our quarters until I am through; it should not be much past 9 am."

Katherine nodded and looking back up at Severus, she bid him a quiet goodnight and made her way into the room that had been created for her.

Running his hand through his hair, Severus sat back down in his chair and picked up his mug, staring into the fire as he sipped his tea.


	20. Slytherin Justice

_Somehow my chapter numbers got behind by one. You would think someone with a Master's degree would know how to count :). Anyway, this is the correct chapter number. This is an extra long chapter as I really couldn't find a good place to break._

Chapter 20: Slytherin Justice

**Content Warning: Spanking in this chapter**

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_6:55 am_

Severus glanced at the clock on the mantle and sighed as he drained the last of his coffee. He wanted another cup but it would have to wait; Adams would be appearing any moment. He had spent a couple of hours contemplating exactly what he was going to say and do to his three bullying brats. He had to admit that Adams and Flynn weren't the worst of the three and simply tended to follow wherever Simmons would lead. Still, all three had been warned and punished the past three years for bullying students and Severus was tired of repeating the same words and assigning the same punishments. All three would be good for a few weeks but then the bullying would start again; usually not as bad but it was still there. Somewhere in those two hours the previous evening, Severus decided he had to up the stakes. He had no intention of ever having to repeat these actions. Crossing over to his desk, he opened the side drawer to verify that what he needed was there, and then closed the drawer just as a tentative knock sounded at the door leading to the corridor outside his office. Glancing back at the clock, Severus smirked...Adams was right on time. Putting on the sternest Professor Snape glare he could manage, he crossed the room and roughly yanked the door open, surprising the sixth year so much that he took a step back with a gasp. Ignoring the boy's reaction, but secretly pleased that the intimidation had worked, Severus barked.

"Inside Mr Adams and take a seat in front of my desk, while you can still sit."

Swallowing hard, Adams made his way past his professor, having to duck under the professor's arm as Severus made no move to clear the doorway.

Once Adams was sitting stiffly in the hard chair, Severus closed the door with a click of finality that had Adams squirming even more. Making his way to the opposite side of the desk, Severus leaned over it as close to Adams as he could get, placing both hands flat, and meeting Adams' frightened gaze with his glare. Adams swallowed again and dropped his eyes to the desktop, unable to meet that hard glare any longer.

"You would be well advised to look at me Mr Adams," Severus bit out.

Slowly, Adams looked up. Severus took note he had started to shake slightly and had gone pale. "Good," Severus thought. "This just might work."

"I seem to remember the last time we were in this same position and if memory serves, it wasn't too long before the end of term last year. Do you recall Mr Adams?" Severus asked sternly.

"Y-Yes S-s-Sir," Adams stuttered.

"And do you remember WHY we were here?" Severus continued.

Adams said something low that Severus didn't quite catch.

"Try again Mr Adams and speak up."

"We were bullying a second year and had scared him so badly he ran off."

Severus nodded. "Do you recall what I told you would happen if I ever had you in my office again for any similar offense?" Severus said, silk in his voice underneath the stern tone.

"Y-you said y-you wouldn't let me off with just grounding, d-detention and lines, b-but that I-I would deeply regret what w-would happen."

"Yet here we sit, again. Well Mr Adams, I keep my promises, unlike you who I distinctly remember promised me that he would NEVER bully another student. This ends now, this year. I make a promise to you right here that if you EVER show up in my office for bullying another student, your next conversation will be with the headmaster as he signs your expulsion papers. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!" Severus thundered.

Near tears and chalk white, Adams dropped his eyes again and whispered a very subdued "yes sir."

Giving the quivering sixth year a chance to compose himself, Severus remained quiet, just looking at the boy for a minute before he went on, his voice quieter but still very stern.

"This is how this is going to go. As I mentioned last night, you, Mr Flynn and Mr Simmons all have detention with me, every night, for the next three weeks, starting tonight. All three of you will be in the lab by 7 PM sharp. In addition, when we are done in here, you are going to sit in the lab and write out 100 lines for me, the content of which is already on the board, and you will not rise from your seat until those lines are completed. Once you complete the lines, you will be free to leave, however, other than 30 minutes for meals in the Great Hall, you are restricted to your dorm for the remainder of this weekend, and every weekend thereafter, until your detention is completed. Do you understand what you have been told?" Severus demanded sternly.

"Yes Sir" Adams answered immediately, his voice thick but steady. Severus nodded in satisfaction when Adams dropped his eyes again; he was pretty sure there wouldn't be a repeat of this scene, at least not with Adams.

"Very well. Let's get this finished as Mr Flynn will be here shortly. Stand up, robe off, trousers and shorts down, and bend over the desk," Severus ordered, as he opened the desk drawer.

Adams just gaped for a moment, opening his mouth to protest, then looking at Severus' face, decided against it. Closing his mouth and his shoulders sagging, Adams slowly stood, moving the chair out of the way, adjusted his clothing as Severus had ordered and bent over the wide desktop. This certainly wasn't the first time he had found himself in this same position but given his professor's stern demeanor, he was scared. His fear increased when he saw what Severus pulled out of the drawer. Expecting the Snape ruler, he felt suddenly sick when he saw the stiff leather paddle in the professor's hand. The rectangular piece of black leather was about 12 inches long and a good 6 inches wide. While not any thicker than a very stiff belt, it was still an intimidating sight. Suddenly feeling like a small child, Adams couldn't help but query "p-professor p-please."

Taking in Adams' pale, fearful face and the unshed tears in his eyes, Severus took pity on him, softening his voice slightly as he walked around the desk to stand behind the boy. Laying a firm hand on the boy's back, Severus told him.

"My old potions master had a similar paddle that he used. I can tell you from experience that one application was bad enough that I never wanted a second. I was not entirely successful in avoiding further applications but I swore each and every time that it would be the last. It is my hope that you learn from this because believe me, you do not want to face this a second time. I am going to give you fifteen swats. You can cry out, cry, do what you need to do to get through it, but you will remain in position until I give you permission to rise. If you move at the wrong time, I cannot guarantee where the paddle will land. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes -Sir" Adams answered miserably, turning his head sideways away from Severus and laying his head down on the desk, curling his fingers around the opposite edge of the desk as though his life depended on it.

Patting the boy's back, Severus stepped back, raised the paddle and brought it forward with a sound 'THWACK' following up with four more in very quick succession. Pausing for a scant moment, Severus awaited Adams' reaction and was not disappointed as the boy burst into tears and started dancing on his toes.

Taking his time, Severus started the next set, scolding in between each hard swat.

"You will not, 'THWACK', act like a thug 'THWACK' bullying other students 'THWACK' until they are afraid of their own shadows 'THWACK'. Am I clear? 'THWACK.'

"I-I'm s-s-sorry s-s-sir," he stuttered instead, sobbing.

"Last five," Severus told him.

Repeating the patterrn of the first set, Severus laid on the last five, quickly, directly across where Adams would feel them the most each time he sat down for a while. Once he was done, Severus stepped back for a moment and then letting Adams alone for a moment, went back behind his desk and replaced the paddle in its drawer. Walking back around, he placed his hand gently on Adams' back, rubbing his shoulders for a moment and waiting for the boy to calm a little. Once Adams' sobs had died back slightly, Severus patted his shoulder and then applied a little pressure, encouraging Adams to stand, keeping his hand on the Adams' arm until he was sure Adams was steady then releasing him to allow him to redress.

Once Adams was dressed properly again, Severus moved his hand to the boy's chin, applying firm pressure until Adams raised his eyes to look at his professor. What Severus saw was a very contrite teenager, one that looked not 16, but closer to a very young child who had been soundly punished.

"I trust I will not have to repeat this," Severus said sternly.

"N-no S-s-sir" Adams said through his tears, "n-never."

"All right, get into the lab and get started on those lines. Remember, no leaving your seat until those lines are completed. I will not hesitate to use that paddle again if you do not follow directions."

Nodding, Adams walked through the classroom door. It wasn't five minutes before yet another tentative knock sounded on the door leading to the corridor, and Severus straightened his shoulders, ready to repeat the entire process once again.

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_7:50 am_

Severus ushered a still crying Flynn into the lab, gesturing for him to take a seat on the opposite side from where Adams was still squirming while he continued to write, over and over again, the interminable phrase written on the board.

"Remember Mr Flynn, no getting up until those lines are finished. You would not want to go back over my desk."

Striding back into his office, Severus poured himself another cup of coffee. Using his wand to dry the puddle of tears Flynn had left on the top of his desk, Severus sat down, sipping the warm brew and fortifying himself for the meeting with Simmons. He had no doubt that the end result would be the same, but, it would not be so easy getting there. Adams and Flynn were actually pretty responsible boys who generally avoided trouble, but, on the occasions where they fell under Simmons' influence, they became almost unrecognizable.

As a precaution, Severus had written to Simmons' father late the previous evening, hoping for support from that side. Unfortunately, Simmons would appear in less than 10 minutes and Severus still had not gotten back a reply.

_8 am_

The knock on the door came as expected and Severus was ready. Simmons was the ringleader in all this and his bullying had gotten on Severus' last nerve. By the time Simmons returned to his dorm this morning, the LAST thing he would be thinking about was bullying the younger students. Taking a sustaining breath and plastering on his most fearsome glare, Severus opened the door and barked "In, NOW!"

Simmons just glanced at Severus before swaggering into the office, acting like he didn't have a care in the world. 'Keep it up Simmons,' Severus thought to himself, 'keep it up.'

"SIT," Severus ordered shortly, pointing sternly at the hard chair in front of his desk.

Simmons huffed, throwing himself into the chair, then crossed his arms and looked up at Severus belligerently. His temper ready to explode, Severus leaned down over the burly sixth year, putting his hands on either arm of the chair now occupied and leaned in even closer, his nose nearly touching Simmons' as he glared into the boy's eyes. Despite himself, Simmons swallowed nervously and leaned back as far as the chair would allow.

"A modicum of respect would be very circumspect right now Mr Simmons," Severus spat. "You are a hairsbreadth from being expelled for this latest infraction and I am NOT inclined to be particularly lenient," Severus finished. Severus remained where he was for a minute, not standing back until Simmons dropped his eyes in submission. Nodding to himself in satisfaction, Severus stood back, crossed his arms over his chest and went on.

"You would be well advised to look at me Mr Simmons," Severus bit out.

Simmons raised his eyes almost defiantly, yet, Severus could see a flicker of uncertainty.

"I am not sure why, but you cannot seem to keep from bullying those younger than you. You have been in my office every year for the past five years being punished for the same bullying tactics you in which you seem to find such great pleasure.

"I was bullied first year," Simmons muttered.

"So you feel it is justice to do the same thing to others, knowing how it feels? I also seem to remember taking care of the students who were bullying you and that bullying immediately ended. I did not have to repeat the lesson to those boys, yet here you sit for a FIFTH time," Severus gritted out. "Explain yourself."

"I have nothing to say," Simmons bit out. "Just get on with whatever you're gonna do."

Severus closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, counting to ten eight times before he felt his temper go back to a low simmer.

The fearsome potions master glare firmly back in place, Severus once again leaned over Simmons.

"Somehow I do not think you would be so eager to learn your fate if you knew what was going to happen, but I will indulge you nonetheless." Using the same words he had used with both Adams and Flynn, Severus said:

"You, Mr Adams and Mr Flynn will be serving detention with me every night for the next three weeks starting tonight; you are to be in the lab by 7 PM sharp. In addition, when we are done in here, you are going to sit in the lab and write out 200 lines, the content of which is already on the board, and you will not rise from your seat until those lines are completed. Once you complete the lines, you will be free to leave, however, other than 30 minutes for meals in the Great Hall, you are restricted to your dorm for the remainder of this weekend, and every weekend thereafter, until your detention is completed. Do you understand what you have been told?" Severus demanded sternly.

When Simmons didn't say anything, Severus went on, hoping Simmons wasn't going to argue.

"In addition to what I have just said, you will be getting 15 swats with a leather paddle. "

Severus waited for the reaction and wasn't disappointed.

"You can't do that," Simmons said furiously, jumping to his feet.

"Oh, I think you will find I can," Severus said. "Would you care to discuss this with the headmaster instead? I can tell you now he is not happy with this situation and would be more than happy to end it with your expulsion. I think you will also find that the headmaster would be quite willing to apply a cane to your bullying hide before seeing you removed from the school. Your choice Mr Simmons. You can take the paddling and the rest of the punishment, or you can leave the school, right now, tonight. It would not take long to notify your father to come pick you up," Severus spat.

Severus watched Simmons pale at the mention of his father and he started squirming slightly, suddenly nervous.

"No, you don't have to do that," Simmons said begrudgingly, dropping his eyes.

"No, what," Severus demanded sternly.

"No Sir," Simmons muttered.

"Is there anything you wish to say to me?" Severus added.

"No.....sir," Simmons answered again.

"Very well. Take off your robe. Take down your trousers and shorts and bend over the desk."

Simmons hesitated, almost as if he was going to refuse, and then taking a deep breath, gave in and did as he was told. Just as with Adams, Severus saw Simmons flinch when he saw the paddle, but Simmons didn't say anything. Not inclined to be at all lenient, Severus didn't give Simmons the courtesy of taking a moment to come to terms with what was about to happen and just told him,

"As I said, I am going to give you fifteen swats. You can cry out, cry, do what you need to do to get through it, but you will remain in position until I give you permission to rise. If you move at the wrong time, I cannot guarantee where the paddle will land. Do you understand?"

"Just get on with it," Simmons gritted out.

Gritting his teeth again, Severus pulled back his arm and sent the paddle forward with all his strength, landing five full force swats in quick succession. He had seen all of Simmons' muscles clench as the pain exploded across his bottom and as with the others, Simmons was sobbing by the time the last one landed.

Landing another full force swat, Severus started to lecture.

"If I hear one more instance, 'THWACK' or complaint of your bullying again, 'THWACK,' I will haul you up in front of the headmaster, 'THWACK' and watch as you are expelled! 'THWACK.'

Simmons was squirming desperately, sobbing, his fingers scrabbling around the far edge of the desk.

Giving no encouragement as he had with the others, Severus laid the last five, just as hard as the first ten, across Simmons' lower bottom, in the area that would remind him the most of this lesson each time he sat down over the next couple of days.

Leaving Simmons to cry it out., Severus didn't speak as he went back around his desk and put the paddle away, again, hopefully for a very long time. Simmons was crying so hard he was having trouble breathing, taking in great gulps of air when he could. Severus may have given him the same number of swats, but he had used a lot more force. Not by choice, but as a hope that Simmons would definitely think twice before he bullied anyone else. Severus really didn't want to see him expelled. Other than his bullying, he was a good kid.

Taking a few deep breaths to ease his temper, Severus walked back to Simmons' side and put his hand on the boy's shoulder, feeling the shuddering sobs that still wracked Simmons' frame. Severus kept his hand in place until Simmons calmed somewhat, then said,

"You may rise now and get dressed."

Simmons stood and shakily got his pants up and fastened, hissing through his tears as the soft material scraped like sandpaper across his sore and throbbing backside.

Severus didn't give Simmons time to think as he steered him towards the lab door.

"Remember Mr Simmons, no rising from your seat until those lines are finished or you will find yourself back over that desk and the number of lines doubled. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes S-S-Sir," Simmons stuttered, for once not choking at the honorific.

Severus stayed at the door to make sure Simmons had taken his seat and started on the writing assignment, then he went back into his office to relax for a little while before having to deal with the young Mr McCuithbert.

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_8:57 am_

Severus stepped back into his office after checking on the three sixth years. Adams had just finished his lines and had been dismissed back to his dorm, while Flynn and Simmons continued to work. Simmons would be there for a long while yet as Severus had seen fit to add an additional 100 lines, rewarding Simmons with a total of 200 lines for being the leader in the bullying. Severus had seen Flynn sending Simmons some hard glances, glances that, if Severus was reading the boy correctly, promised retribution once they were allowed to leave the room. Unfortunately, the glances were going unacknowledged by Simmons, who was too busy trying to get his crying under control and trying to find a comfortable means of sitting on the hard classroom chairs. Despite Simmons' blustering and boasting, he had reacted the same way as Adams and Flynn, in tears and sobbing within the first 5 strokes of the paddle.

At exactly 9 am, Severus heard what he hoped would be the last knock f the morning, preferably the day. He wasn't looking forward to this particular meeting. Ian's presence outside the common room after hours was understandable, but, there was still the initial issue of the boy being out of his bed after hours, breaking the hard and fast rule Severus had set for his first and second year students. Walking to the door with a slightly less stern expression on his face, Severus opened the door to reveal the 11-year old boy.

Severus further frowned as his eyes took in something disturbing. The boy was looking down at the floor so Severus placed his hand gently, but firmly, under the boy's chin, applying a little pressure and encouraging the child to look up. What he saw when Ian's face came into view tugged at his heart. The boy was pale, almost sick pale, and he was trembling; dark circles rested under puffy, red rimmed eyes. It was clear the boy had spent a very restless and anxious filled night.

Releasing the boy's chin, Severus asked "are you feeling ill Mr McCuithbert?"

"N-no S-Sir," he answered softly.

Stepping aside to allow the boy to enter the room, Severus closed the door quietly and walked back to stand behind his desk.

"Sit down Mr McCuithbert," he said, indicating the chair in front of his desk.

The boy obeyed immediately, but sat on the very edge of the chair, his hands clenching and his eyes firmly fixed on the desktop.

Severus sighed to himself. He ran the few interactions he had had with the child through his mind, trying to determine what he could have said, not said or what he could have done to make the boy so frightened of him. For the life of him, he could not think of anything that would have put the boy so on edge. This was certainly not the same boy that Master McCuithbert had described.

Severus walked back around the desk, standing in front of the child but resting his hip on the desktop, doing his best not to look TOO intimidating and continued to quietly study the boy, trying to determine how best to deal with him. Severus' normal course of action with his first and second years was to send them straight to a convenient corner for 15 minutes so they could reflect on the behavior that had resulted in their presence in his office. Severus doubted the boy in front of him was in any shape, mentally or physically, to handle the action so, Severus instead decided to just let him explain.

"Look at me Mr McCuithbert," Severus ordered firmly. When the boy lifted his eyes, Severus could again feel his heart sink; the child looked absolutely miserable.

"Explain to me what happened last night and how you happened to be out of your bed after curfew."

"I was studying with Aaron and we went to our dorm on time, we really did," he said almost desperately; Severus nodded and Ian continued.

"After we got ready to bed, we played a few hands of Exploding Snap and we went to bed at lights out. Aaron fell asleep almost immediately but I couldn't sleep. I wanted to read but realized I had left my book in the common room. You always said that as long as we didn't have class the next day we could read or study quietly even after lights out so I didn't think you'd mind if I went to get the book, I only mean to be out of bed for a few minutes. Mr Simmons, Mr Adams and Mr Flynn were sitting in front of the fireplace and they saw me come in to get my book. Mr Simmons told me he was going to tell you I was up after hours and that you would s-spank me really hard and not let me out of the dorm for a really long time because I was breaking curfew. He said that if I went to get his books he wouldn't tell. I didn't know what to do and I asked him about the rule on the weekends. He said you had changed the rule and that we had to bed at the same time on the weekends as we were during the week. I didn't want a s-spanking so I told him I would get his books," here Ian paused for a moment and then cried out desperately "please S-sir, p-please don't spank me, I promise I won't be out after curfew, I won't do it again!" bursting into sobs as he finished the sentence, hunching over and wrapping his arms around protectively around his body.

Severus flashed back to another child with green eyes sitting in a similar position and in a similar state of mind.

Shaking away the memory, Severus leaned over and wrapped his arms around the sobbing boy. Ian, desperate for any sort of comfort, buried his face in Severus' chest and just cried, while Severus gently rubbed his back, talking to him gently. Swearing silently, Severus was very tempted to put Simmons back over his desk for another application of the paddle. He was going to make very sure that Simmons would learn what bullying was all about during the next three weeks' worth of detentions.

Once the storm was over, Severus pulled back a little and then handed the boy a snowy white handkerchief so he could wipe his face. While Ian composed himself, Severus stood back up and only tipped the boy's chin up again when he seemed calm enough to continue.

"When you went to get your book, did you have any intention of leaving the common room?" Severus asked firmly.

"No Sir, I swear I was only going to get my book and then I was going to go back to bed, the thought of leaving the common room never entered my mind," Ian said with emphasis, his eyes tearing up again.

Severus put his hand on the boy's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze in reassurance before releasing him. He could see that the boy was exhausted. The restless night, his anxiety and the most recent bout of crying had worn the child out.

"The rule about weekend hours was not changed and you are correct in that I will allow you to read or study after normal lights out as long as class is not in session the following day. My suggestion to you is that if someone gives you a different version of the rules that you seek out a prefect or in their absence, you come to me. In addition, if you find you cannot sleep, especially if it happens during the school week, you can go to a prefect or come to me and I will give you something to help you fall asleep. I would not fault you for coming to me with a question or problem, especially when not asking the question has led us to this moment. Do you understand?" Severus asked gently.

"Yes Sir."

"I want you to write a 1 foot essay on what happened and what you could have done differently, to be on my desk by Monday morning. You will also go to bed immediately at curfew tonight, no reading or playing games. Is that clear?" he said sternly.

"Yes Sir," Ian said forlornly, dropping his eyes again.

Severus had to smile at the bowed head. It was still a mystery how he could barely get his first, second and third years to bed on time, yet barely get his fifth through seventh years OUT of bed. It seemed only his fourth years could manage both without any added coercion. The boy was clearly exhausted, but even the thought of going to bed 30 minutes early was enough to upset him.

Severus tipped up the boy's chin one more time. "Then we are finished here. I will warn you, however, that if you ever willfully break curfew, or delay going to bed by coming to me and claiming a false issue, you will find yourself over my knee getting your backside soundly spanked. Clear?"

"Yes Sir," Ian answered immediately, flushing.

"You may go," Severus said, putting his hand on the boy's back and steering him towards the door that led to the corridor. Stopping him for just moment, Severus told him "I think a nap is in order when you get back to the common room. You are probably tired from not sleeping last night," Severus said gently, Ian yawning just as he finished his sentence, flushing as he nodded in acknowledgement. Holding the door open for the boy, Severus watched the child walk tiredly down the corridor. Just before Ian would have reached the portrait guarding the common room entrance, Severus saw Flynn come up behind the boy. Ready to intervene, Severus took a step forward, but then stopped as Flynn put his hand on the Ian's shoulder and dropped down to one knee in front of him. Severus couldn't hear what was said but he did see Ian smile shyly and give Flynn a hug, which was returned briefly. Flynn stood up and ruffled the boy's hair, then spotted Severus standing at the end of the corridor; Flynn looked at Severus with a silent question on his face. Severus simply nodded and Flynn turned back to Ian. Putting his arm around the boy, Flynn must have uttered the password as the portrait opened up and the two stepped through into the Slytherin common room.

Severus was glad to see that at least one of the terrible trio had probably taken their correction to heart. Only time would tell if it would last. Walking back through the office, Severus entered the classroom to check on Simmons' progress. He knew that eventually he would have to offer some solace to the three students but for now, he was going to be hard on them. After verifying that Simmons was still seated and engaged in his writing, Severus sat down, pulling a stack of fourth year essays a little closer and lost himself in his grading.


	21. Escape

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Chapter 21: Escape

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_Saturday, 10:30 am_

Severus glanced up as Katherine stepped into his office, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. Handing it to him, she chuckled at the sheer look of pleasure on his face as he drank the steaming liquid. As he put his cup down, he looked at Katherine silently, trying to quietly assess how she was doing. She seemed relatively calm after what had happened last night, maybe too calm.

"How are you doing?" he finally asked her.

Katherine grimaced. "OK, I guess. I started working on that statement for Auror Potter; I should have it done later this afternoon. Each time I think I am done I think of something else."

"More is better I think," Severus replied with a nod, but don't immerse yourself so much into the statement that you forget everything else. Take a break every now and then. If you move away from what you are writing, it may help you remember more when you get back to it."

"If you don' t need me right now, I am going to go back to the common room. With everyone in Hogsmeade, the room should be quiet enough," she said bitterly.

"Katherine," Severus said, waiting for Katherine to look at him before he went on. "You are restricted to the grounds by the tracker, however, this only means by yourself. If I accompany you, you are allowed to leave the grounds. I have to remain here today and would only be free for a couple of hours tomorrow after lunch, but I can take you into Hogsmeade tomorrow if you wish. I just need to notify Auror Potter the hours you would be off the grounds. "

"Maybe," Katherine said.

"Let me know," Severus said "and thank you for the coffee."

Katherine smiled "I figured you might need it after this morning's meetings. I'll see you later," she said, as she left the room.

Severus dropped his gaze and returned to the pile of grading he still had left to complete.

_noon_

Severus glanced up at the clock as he completed the last of the fourth year essays and was surprised to note it was already noon. Standing up and stretching a bit, grimacing as his back cracked loudly, he made his way to the lab to check on Simmons' progress. He would allow him to go to lunch and then return if his lines were not yet completed. Stepping into the lab, he saw that Simmons was still squirming slightly as he worked, but otherwise seemed calm.

Hearing the door open, Simmons looked up as Severus entered. "Mr Simmons, how much more do you have to do?"

"About thirty more Sir," Simmons answered quietly.

"You may go to lunch but I want you back here in 30 minutes to complete those lines," Severus said firmly.

"Thank you Sir," Simmons said, as he rose, carefully, from the hard chair and made his way rather stiffly to the classroom door.

Severus watched as Simmons left, then turned back and walked into his own quarters where he knew Carly would have his lunch waiting for him. He rubbed his temples to try and ease the headache that had started a little while ago, a result of trying to decipher the poor handwriting and atrocious grammar his fourth year students referred to as essays. He glanced at the table as he walked into his quarters and smiled as he saw not only his lunch, but also a vial of the headache potion he kept readily available. Carly really was a gem.

Tossing back the potion, Severus sat down at the table and closed his eyes, sighing in relief as the potion did its work and his headache faded. Turning towards the table, he reveled in the quiet of his quarters as he ate his lunch.

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_6:50 pm_

Severus walked into the lab in preparation for the first night of detentions for the three bullies. Severus knew full well the three would still be sore from that morning's punishment, but, he was determined to make sure this lesson really sank in. He had prepared for their detention, making sure that what they were gong to do would have them sitting, again, for another few hours at least. It just so happened that a new barrel of flobber worms had arrived and they needed to be dissected and sorted.

At 7 sharp, the door to the lab opened and Severus watched as the three sixth years made their way inside. Simmons led the trio with Adams closing the door and then making his way to stand beside his two fellow sixth years. All three were having a hard time meeting Severus' gaze and were shifting nervously where they stood. Severus let them stew for a few minutes before he finally spoke.

"I will not remark on this morning's events. That part of your punishment is over and done with. Now, we are facing 21 nights together and it is my sincere hope that in that time, you three will learn that bullying is not accepted here. The table in front of you contains three large cauldrons full of flobberworms, one cauldron for each of you. You are to dissect and sort the parts accordingly and place them in the supplied bowls. If you do not finish tonight, you will continue with this task until it is completed on subsequent nights. You will continue until 10 pm. Get started," Severus finished sternly, watching as all three winced as they gingerly sat back down on the hard chairs and started their work.

_9:55 pm_

Severus made his way back to the lab. He had checked on the boys' throughout the evening and was pleased to see that for now, they seemed to be taking their detention to heart and were working quietly. Normal weekend curfew for sixth years was 11 pm, however, he was about to further infringe on the boys' privileges by cutting their curfew and bedtime back a full hour for the duration of their detentions; they weren't going to be happy.

Walking over to the where the boys were working, Severus was surprised to see that each had only gotten about halfway through their portion of flobberworms, but, what they HAD done was correctly completed.

"Hm, only halfway. Looks like you three will be sitting some more tomorrow night in order to finish," Severus said, smirking as all three winced. Severus went on.

"You have 5 minutes to get the lab cleaned up and then you are return to your dorms and straight to bed," Severus said, waiting for the expected protests.

"But Sir, its only 10, lights out isn't until 11 on the weekend" Flynn protested, then swallowed as Severus turned his glare on him.

"I can always make it even earlier Mr Flynn if that is what you wish," Severus said sternly. "Suffice to say you will all be enjoying an hour earlier curfew and lights out time for the duration of your detentions. Do I hear any more protests?"

When all three remained silent, Severus nodded. "Get this lab cleaned up and get to bed."

Fine minutes later, the lab as clean as it was when the boys had first arrived, Severus watched as the three dejectedly walked out the classroom door. Severus sighed and walked back to his quarters where he knew Carly would have a drink waiting for him. One down, twenty more to go he thought, wondering why he had subjected himself to over seeing three weeks worth of detentions. Oh well, he could always inflict the boys on Mr Filch for a few nights to give himself a break he thought with a smirk.

Finishing his drink, he got up to place the glass on the table for Carly to clean up. Stepping over to his desk for a moment, he noticed several pieces of parchment. Picking the top sheet, he wrinkled his brow. The words, were not, well words, but a bunch of squiggly looking lines. The few words he could actually read indicates this was the statement that Katherine had started on, but, the rest of the sheets were incomprehensible. Shrugging, he left the parchment where it lie, making a mental note to ask Katherine about it in the morning when he saw her.

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_Earlier that evening_

Katherine smacked the table in frustration, causing the few Slytherins present to look at her curiously before returning to their own concerns. She had finished her statement and would just need to recopy it, but she felt like she was trapped. Katherine had worked on the statement almost three hours past curfew the night before, and most of the day today and she was feeling edgy and restless. She realized part of the problem was that she knew she was struck in the castle while her friends were enjoying themselves in Hogsmeade. Professor Snape had been kind in offering to accompany her tomorrow, but, it just wasn't the same. The tracker prevented her from going anywhere without Auror Potter knowing, so why did Professor Snape have to accompany her..couldn't she just go by herself? Just as she thought the thought, something Professor Snape had said came back to her. Hadn't he said that all he had to do was let Auror Potter know what times they would be in Hogsmeade?

Katherine bit her lip as a thought formed. Getting up and going up to her dorm room, she rummaged around in her trunk until she found an essay that had been marked by the professor. Several comments were present, enough that she could easily configure a note written in his handwriting. She'd done it many times before, the process was simple.

Still, a warning flag went up in her head. What is it Professor Snape had said? He would only be available for a couple of hours after lunch. If she told Professor Snape in the morning that she needed to finish up her statement and would be done before dinner, she just might be able to avoid seeing him throughout the day. He never took lunch in the Great Hall on the weekends, only appearing for dinner. She'd be back long before dinner with a finished statement ready to be sent to Auror Potter. A quick note to Auror Potter in the morning would clear her departure.

A second warning bell sounded in her brain. She knew full well that if she got caught, breaking the tracker rules would be the least of her worries. A long lecture, a sore backside and probably endless lines would be almost automatic. Should she?

After debating for endless moments, Katherine tightened her lips. She wasn't guilty and she didn't deserve this unreasonable restriction..she was going to Hogsmeade tomorrow. As long as she was careful, there was no way she could get caught. Her mind made up, Katherine started on a very carefully worded letter to one Auror Potter.

******************************************************************************

_Sunday Morning_

Severus was just finishing up grading his third year essays which were only marginally more legible then the fourth year essays he had graded the day before. He glanced up as Katherine came through the door.

"Morning Sir," she said with a smile. "I just wanted to let you know that I am almost finished with the statement. Since it is so nice out today, I am going to take it outside and finish it. I should have it ready to send to Auror Potter by dinnertime."

Severus nodded, pleased. "Auror Potter will be pleased," Severus said. "I take it this means you do not want to go into Hogsmeade after lunch?"

Katherine's stomach clenched but she had prepared herself for the question. She looked at him steadily, hoping the eye contact would lend credence to what she was about to say. She knew that a tell tale sign of someone lying was that they avoided direct aye contact. Direct eye contact with a famed legilims wasn't too smart, but if Severus didn't suspect a lie, he wouldn't feel the need to probe.

"Hmm..not today Sir though I do appreciate the thought. I want to get this statement done so Auror Potter can do his investigation and hopefully tell the Americans where they can put their dumb charges," she groused in what she hoped was a convincing manner, holding her breath slightly as she waited for Severus' reply.

"Just be certain you remain with the tracker's range while you are out on the grounds. "

"I will Sir."

"I will see you this evening then," Severus returned, already turning his attention back the essays.

"See you later Sir," Katherine returned, as she walked out of the office. She had a message to send to one Auror Potter.

15 minutes later, for better or worse, the deed was done. Katherine attached the note to the leg of one of the school owls and walking to the opening in the wall, she gently lifted her arm and watched the owl take flight. She had timed it well. It was just now 9:30 and she estimated it would take the owl about 30 minutes to get the note to Auror Potter. She walked sedately down the steps, barely able to contain her excitement at getting out of the castle, if only for a couple of hours.

_10 am_

Parchment, ink and quill in hand in case she was noticed, Katherine made her way out of the castle and started towards a large copse of trees that would hopefully hide her from sight. She had snuck some money under her jumper and was trying to look unconcerned as though she had every right to be going outside. Fortunately, the only people she encountered were some other students out enjoying the sunshine, but most were headed towards the lake and away from where Katherine was heading and didn't pay her any attention.

Once she reached the trees, she put the blank parchment, ink and quill into a hollowed out log and then started the walk into Hogsmeade.

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	22. Caught in the Act

I was hoping for more action on the poll just to see if people had caught my inference, however, I wanted to get this posted as the next chapter is beginning to take shape. Readers are going to see the start of an interaction between Harry and Katherine. Probably somewhere along the lines of an older brother. This is going to be important when I get into the results of the charges.

**Content Warning: Reference to spanking and one smack.**

Chapter 22: Caught in the Act

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

Katherine made her way down the road that led to Hogsmeade, occasionally glancing over her shoulder as she put more distance between herself and the castle. It was a beautiful fall day, with high sunshine, rather warm temperatures and only a slight breeze. Unusual for this time of the year, it wouldn't be long before everyone was buried in snow and freezing temperatures.

She reached Hogsmeade quickly, the walk only taking about 10 minutes, and without having a particular destination in mind, she wandered the street, just taking in the sunshine and enjoying her free time. She wandered into the smaller Flourish and Blotts, just browsing the shelves full of books. Pulling out an interesting looking potions volume, she paid for the book and made her way to the Three Broomsticks, intent on sitting down at one of the outside tables with a butterbeer to read a bit. No sooner had she sat down with her drink and opened the new book, a shadow fell across the table. Looking up slightly in irritation with the intent of asking the person standing there to please move out of her light, she gasped and nearly dropped the book, her eyes following the man as he sat down opposite her.

"Glad I saw you," said Harry, as he took in the now pale girl in front of him and then glanced around the bustling street. "Maybe you can tell me where Professor Snape has gotten to?"

Katherine had recovered her composure but was not sure how to answer Auror Potter's question.

"I, he went into the apothecary to pick up some potions ingredients. He realized he was low on a couple for the class stores," she said, looking straight at Harry, happy that her voice was strong and steady.

"Really," Harry said feigning surprise. "I just came out of there and didn't see him."

"Hm, I was reading and maybe I missed him," Katherine said. "He also mentioned wanting to go into Flourish and Blotts."

"I find it interesting that he was in the apothecary shop and heading to Flourish and Blotts when I know for a fact he is at this moment back at Hogwarts in a meeting with the headmaster," Harry returned sternly. "Suppose you tell me how he is managing to be in two places at once or maybe you have something you need to tell me?"

Katherine swallowed hard; she knew she was caught.

"Auror P-Potter," she stammered nervously. "I-Im sorry, I d-didn't mean…"

"Didn't mean what," Harry interrupted, his voice stern and hard. "Didn't mean to lie to me and more than likely to Professor Snape, or didn't mean to break the promise to me that you would stay put?"

Katherine couldn't answer and she dropped her eyes to the table in front of her, wishing the ground would just open up underneath her.

Harry reached over and firmly lifted her chin, "look at me young lady," he said.

When Katherine looked up, Harry could see her eyes were dry, but, it wouldn't take much to send her over the edge.

Speaking low he continued.

"I realize this situation is hard for you," he said, his voice still firm but a little more gentle. "You are in an almost impossible situation with no real idea of or how it might end. You may not believe this but I know what you are going through, I've been there. It isn't easy now and it wasn't easy then either, but, the important thing right now is that you do exactly as you are told so that I, Professor Snape and the headmaster can keep you safe. The American's would like nothing better right now than to come across you, alone, where they could easily arrest you, legally, and remove you to confinement. Once you are in their control, there is nothing I or anyone else would be able to do to get you out until this situation plays out. You have got to trust that we are going to do everything possible to bring a quick resolution to this, but in the meantime, you have to make it easier for us by staying put and staying out of trouble," he said, his eyes boring into hers in an effort to get her to understand the danger she was in. As he watched, he saw the tears start to well up, one spilling over and making its way down her pale cheek. Harry gently brushed the tear away with his thumb and then dropped his hand to her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze before releasing her. "C'mon, let's get you back," Harry said as he stood up, watching as Katherine, if it was possible, pale even further. Making no move to stand, she looked up at him standing there next to her. "He's going to kill me," she said, not expanding on the identification of the 'he.'

Harry grinned wryly. "Maybe figuratively but not literally," he said, as he put a hand under her elbow and encouraged her to rise, waiting a moment as she picked up her book. They turned to leave the village and started walking up the road that led back to the castle. Unlike her walk in, Katherine was in no great hurry to get back and so slowed her pace; Harry matched her step as he spoke again. "It's better to get it over with you know," he said conversationally. "Waiting and worrying just makes it that much worse. It not only worries you, it would make him that much more upset if he found out you were keeping something from him. This way, it is over and done with and you can move on without having it hanging over your head."

"Easy for you to say," he caught her mutter. "You aren't the one about to get your backside roasted."

Harry chuckled. "You forget, he was my teacher for seven years. I won't go into the specifics and the entire woeful tale but trust me; I have spent my fair share of time over the knee of one Professor Snape, or his desk, having my back end tanned. I've written enough lines and punishment essays to fill half the books in the Hogwarts library and after seven years in school, I probably spent a year of it at least in either detention or grounded, all courtesy of the good Professor."

Harry stopped suddenly and with a hand on Katherine's arm, turned her to face him. When she looked up at him, startled, he went on.

"He is not going to be happy I will give you that, in fact, he is probably going to be furious. The thing you can count on though is that he won't hurt you, well, not beyond giving you a good tanning anyway. I won't deny he is strict and can cut strips off you with his lectures, but, in all that, he cares Katherine; about you and about your future. Trust him and lean on him if you need to; he won't let you down if he can help it."

Katherine let out a sigh but nodded and repeated sadly, "he is going to kill me."

Harry chuckled again and turned her back towards the castle.

All too soon, the pair made their way to the front gate. Katherine pulled Harry to the side for a moment to pick up her supplies out of the log. "I finished that statement by the way," she said to Harry, as they made their way up to the familiar front door of the castle. "Excellent," Harry said, "much sooner than I expected. I'll take it with me when I leave."

Entering the castle, Katherine thought it ironic that there were about 30 people mulling about the entrance, suddenly entranced as she and the uniformed auror walked towards the dungeons. She felt like a condemned prisoner on her final walk to the gallows. The next few minutes were NOT going not be enjoyable.

As they neared the door to Severus' quarters, Harry felt Katherine hesitate. Putting his hand gently on her back, he encouraged her forward. "It'll be ok," he said. Katherine uttered the password to Severus' quarters and then taking a fortifying breath, she opened the door and stepped in, followed closely by Harry, who shut the door behind him. Turning, Katherine looked up and stopped dead. Directly in front of her, his arms folded across his chest, glaring at her with a stern and forbidding scowl on his face, was a very upset Severus.

Katherine swallowed hard, again, and stammered out;

"I-I, Sir, I…"

"Not a word young lady, not ONE word," Severus emphasized harshly, unfolding his arms and leaning down to get more on her eye level. His glaring eyes never leaving hers, he lifted his arm, pointing his finger down the short hallway. "In your room and don't you dare leave it until I call for you," he gritted out. "If I were to deal with this now I might say or do something we would both regret. Go," he ordered sternly, ignoring the trembling that was starting in his ward.

Katherine didn't say a word as she made to go to her room, only emitting a startled yelp when Severus' hand made hard contact with her bottom as she passed him.

Once he heard her door closed, Severus turned to Harry and tried, somewhat successfully to moderate his tone.

"Where did you find her," he asked Harry.

Harry shrugged. "She was sitting outside the Broomsticks just reading. It certainly didn't look like she was trying to make a run for it."

"Severus," Harry said. "I know you are furious with her but everything is fine. She just wanted to be alone and away from the castle for a while."

"Potter," Severus hissed as he looked at his former pupil. "She forged a note to you, lied to me and willfully broke the mandates you yourself set for tracking. She has already been punished once for forging documents, which got her into this in the first place, and for lying to me so you'll excuse me if I am not inclined to be lenient this time."

Harry looked up at his former Professor and now friend. "I had a long chat with her and she understands her position, she really does. She's scared and she's frustrated at the helplessness she feels. I wasn't surprised when she did what she did, although the letter threw me for a minute. She was bound to rebel against the restriction she sees as unfair and wrong. At least now, we won't have to worry about her disappearing again."

Severus sighed. He understood what Harry was saying but he was still very upset with his apprentice and ward.

"What gave her away," Severus asked Harry.

The letter," Harry said, as he pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to Severus. "For one, it was too long. Your way of informing me of something is in as few words as possible and you never sign your name, only your initials. This one had too much explanation and a full signature. Plus, you never ask after me or the family and always add a subtle insult somewhere in the correspondence," Harry chuckled.

Severus snorted as he opened the piece of parchment and read:

_Harry. I hope this letter finds you and your family well. I wish to inform you that Katherine and I will be taking a trip into Hogsmeade this morning. Our plans are to leave the Hogwarts grounds at 10 am and we will return at noon. You have my word that if we are delayed, I will owl you immediately._

_Regards_

_Severus Snape_

"Hmph," Severus said. "She was polite enough."

"Exactly," Harry said with a hint at his old cheekiness, "it was too polite so it was a dead giveaway you hadn't written it."

"Watch it Potter," Severus growled. "As a matter of fact, you need to get out so I can deal with my apprentice. You'll forgive me if I don't see you out but even you should manage to find your way to the front door."

"Katherine said the statement was ready and I told her I would take it with me when I left," Harry said as he turned to go, "but just owl it to me. It can wait a few hours; can't really do anything with it until morning anyway. Molly and Arthur are coming for dinner and Ginny would murder me if I was doing work while they are there."

"Glad to see she has you well trained," Severus smirked.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Harry quipped back as he left Severus' quarters, quietly closing the door behind him.

Severus stayed still for a moment and then walked over to his desk, placing the letter on the top and just staring at it for a moment. Opening the side drawer, he took out the paddle. Just before he placed it on the desktop so it would be in full view when Katherine came back out he hesitated, studying the paddle and deep in thought. Coming to an internal decision, he put the paddle back in the drawer and took out a ruler instead and placed it on the desktop. Taking a breath, he made his way to Katherine's room still not certain how the afternoon was going to play out.


	23. Reckoning

**Content Warning: Spanking**

Chapter 23: Reckoning

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

Katherine sat on her bed with her back against the headboard, biting her lip and trying desperately to remain stoic. She knew Severus would be angry but in truth, the fury she had felt coming off of him was almost frightening. Still, she had certainly seen him furious before, but, she also knew he was one to calm himself down before saying or doing anything. Trying to keep that in mind, Katherine continued to brood, wishing that he would call for her but also hoping he wouldn't.

Severus walked down the short hallway and just before reaching Katherine's door, he stopped and closed his eyes, taking a few breaths. His conversation with Harry had helped to cool his anger a bit but he was still very upset with his ward. He wanted to get the message across that what she had done was wrong, but, he didn't want to scare her half to death in doing so. While he had decided on the ruler, he wouldn't rule out the paddle if Katherine's attitude warranted the harsher implement. Feeling a little more calm, Severus stepped up to her door and after a perfunctory knock, he opened it and stepped inside.

He saw Katherine leaning against the headboard, her head down, though she looked up slightly as he entered. He could tell she was worried. Her face was pale and she was twisting her hands; he could see tears in her eyes though her cheeks were dry. Whether she was upset at her own behavior, or more upset because she had gotten caught, he had yet to determine… but he would. Not giving anything away, he said sternly:

"Sitting room young lady," he directed, smirking behind her as she sidled past him, keeping her backside out of the line of fire of his hand. 'Won't keep it safe for long,' Severus said to himself, as he followed Katherine out of her room and into the sitting area. He had to hide a smile as he noticed that Katherine had made a beeline for the softest part of the couch and was already sitting down. Going over to his desk, he snagged the chair and placed it in such a way that he could look at her while they talked, but also close enough for that all important intimidation factor that he found worked so well on wayward students; Katherine swallowed hard when he chose that particular chair and she squirmed nervously, dropping her gaze back to her sweaty hands, waiting for Severus to start. After a few interminable minutes, where she could feel him glaring at her, she lost the battle with her nerves and looked up at him, wincing inwardly as he started to speak, his voice hard and stern.

"Frankly, I am surprised we are in this position. It wasn't a month ago that you had a similar conversation with Headmaster Troyan for just about the same exact reasons, yet, once again, you have shown a complete lack of respect for any rules or the warnings you were given when you were placed in my care." Severus stopped here for a moment, continuing to glare at Katherine as he let his words sink in. He went on ruthlessly:

"Let's look at this again. You forged a message, in my handwriting, lying to Auror Potter in the process, the one person who is going to be doing his best to help you with the American charges and you willfully defied the boundaries set by the tracker which is meant to keep you safely at Hogwarts. In addition, despite my willingness to take you into Hogsmeade myself, despite the fact I had removed that right for you for the term for your last bout of disobedience, you lied to me when you told me of your plans and led me to believe you were going to continue to work on what Auror Potter needed," he said, watching impassively as a tear rolled down Katherine's cheek, "to say I am so very disappointed in you is an understatement and I want an explanation."

Severus was patient for a couple of minutes but when all Katherine did was to continue to look at her hands in her lap, he leaned forward and put a finger under her chin, lifting it and forcing her to look at him. A few more tears made their way down Katherine's cheeks but Severus didn't allow himself to feel any compassion, not yet.

"That was not an option," he said sternly. "The longer you take to give me the whole story, the harder your punishment will go. I would suggest you start explaining yourself."

Katherine looked at Severus feeling anxious, upset and just overall overwhelmed.

"M-Master," she stuttered slightly, stopping and taking a breath to steady herself. "I don't know what to say. Things are happening so fast I can't seem to make sense of anything," she said almost bitterly. "I know forging that letter was wrong but when I first thought about it, I didn't……think. I wasn't trying to run away, I just needed to get out of here for a while, to be by myself, to be able to think, for a little while anyway, that I wasn't," here she paused, looking for the right word; Severus encouraged her, "go on," he said, his voice slightly less stern; he knew where this was going. "I needed to feel like I wasn't trapped," she all but whispered, dropping her gaze to his chest and trying hard to keep her tears at bay.

Severus gently tapped her chin to get her to look at him again and once she looked up, he continued on, his voice stern but no longer so harsh.

"I know you are scared Katherine, anyone would be. What you have to understand, however, is that pulling a stunt like you did is not going to help, it is only going to damage your credibility with those that are trying to help. When you agreed to the tracking and agreed to stay at the castle, Auror Potter put his trust in you without question, yet, not two days after you promised him you'd stay put, you lied to him by sending him a letter in my name and then leaving the grounds. This was not an accident, it was deliberate and deceitful. That unwavering trust he gave you is now damaged. Now, when you tell him something, instead of believing you outright and without question, there is always going to be at least a slight doubt that will cause him to consider whether or not you are being truthful with him. You are facing the same with me. This action just proves to me that I cannot trust that what you tell me is what you are going to do. Trust is given freely at the start, but, once that trust is broken, it is much, much harder to gain back that trust. I am very disappointed in you," Severus repeated, his voice harsh again. "I expected much better from you," he finished, releasing her chin.

"I'm sorry Master," Katherine whispered, her head down, "I'm sorry," she said again, looking up at him almost desperately, the tears finally falling.

Severus looked at her silently, his face still hard. He knew she regretted what she had done, but, he needed to really bring the point home to her. "I would truly like to believe that," he went on. "It is not your words, but your actions and attitude from this moment onward that will prove you are truly sorry and are deserving of returned trust. "

Severus stopped again looking at her and he almost felt sorry for her; she looked absolutely miserable.

"Do you have anything else to say," he asked her.

"N-no Sir," she whispered again.

"Very well, let us get the rest of this over with. First, since you cannot be trusted to obey the restrictions of the tracker, other than meals and classes, you are restricted to these quarters indefinitely, no friends allowed, though I may lift that restriction later. Immediately after the evening meal, you will return here and sit at the table and study until curfew, which is now your bedtime for the duration of your restriction. Second, since you enjoy writing so much, I want 1000 lines from you, the contents of which will appear on the parchment when you begin. Third, you are to write a four foot essay on trust, what it means, why it is important and most importantly, what happens when that trust is broken; both the lines and the essay are due by bedtime on Tuesday. Finally," here Severus stood up and moved the chair a little further towards the center of the room, then reached over and picked up the ruler from his desk and turned back to Katherine; "I think you know the punishment for the lying and willful disobedience. By all rights I should use the same paddle that Headmaster Troyan used, however, I do not think it is required this time. If something like this EVER happens again, however, I will not hesitate to put you over that desk," he said sternly. "Come here."

Katherine had known full well this was coming, but it didn't make it any easier for her to stand and move towards Severus, who was now seated and watching her. Severus watched the emotions flit across Katherine's face as she approached him. He knew her emotions were running wild at the moment and that was actually one of the reasons he had chosen to use the ruler instead of the paddle. Having her over his knee would give her a base of support, both physically and mentally, rather than the less personal position of being over his desk. Once Katherine got close enough, Severus snagged her wrist and pulled her firmly down across his lap. Unfortunately for Katherine, she had decided to wear a skirt for her little outing, making it that much easier for Severus to flip up the skirt and with a quick wave of his hand, her bottom was bared. Wrapping his arm around her waist to keep her safely in place, Severus took a breath, raised his arm and brought the ruler down onto Katherine's bottom with a resounding 'CRACK.' Satisfied with her yelp in reaction, he started spanking in earnest, landing fifteen hard smacks in quick succession, just slow enough to allow the pain to fully blossom from the previous stroke before the next stroke landed. Katherine was crying by the seventh stroke and squirming helplessly by the tenth. Throwing her hand back in a desperate attempt to shield her bottom, Severus caught her wrist gently, but firmly, in his hand and proceeded to land five more hard strokes across the very tender area where her bottom met her thighs, causing Katherine to wail. Stopping for a moment to allow Katherine to catch her breath and calm a little, Severus remained silent, resting the ruler on the back of her thighs and unconsciously rubbing his thumb back and forth across the back of her captured hand in a small gesture of comfort. When Katherine's sobs had lessened slightly, Severus spoke, interspersing his words with searing cracks of the ruler to those areas of her bottom where she would feel it the most each time she sat down.

"I will help you through these problems young lady but never will I condone lying 'CRACK' and willful disobedience 'CRACK' as a reaction to what you are feeling or experiencing. 'CRACK.' Do I make myself VERY clear? 'CRACK,' he demanded.

"Yes S-sir" Katherine almost yelled out, anxious for this spanking to end.

Taking another deep breath, Severus finished up with ten more hard, fast strokes, covering Katherine's entire bottom. When he was done, Katherine was lying limply over his lap, crying so hard she was barely able to breathe. When he was done, he released her hand and dropping the ruler to the floor, gently rubbed her back as she cried things out. He had intended to spank her and then send her directly to her room to be by herself, but, she was so upset he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Easy," he said gently, "you are all right. Its over."

Unable to calm down, Katherine was simply falling apart. Severus sighed and gently helped her off his lap, her skirt falling back into place. Standing up, Severus put his arms around her, his hand pressing her head to his chest as he continued to rub her back and massage the back of her neck, rocking her slightly as he waited out the storm. Katherine had fisted her hand in the material of his shirt, desperate for the comfort he was offering. Many minutes later, Severus became concerned that Katherine didn't seem to be calming down at all and summoning a calming draught, he opened the vial and gently pressed it to Katherine's lips, encouraging her to drink.

Once the calming draught took effect, Katherine could feel the fear, anxiety and general sense of being overwhelmed slowly dissipating, allowing her to calm but leaving her feeling weak and light headed. Sensing the change Severus led her over to the couch, getting her to lie down and transfiguring her clothing into something a little more comfortable. He covered her with the blanket lying on the back of the couch and then sat down on a nearby ottoman, continuing to rub her shoulder as her tears finally ended and she fought to keep her eyes open. Summoning a damp cloth, he gently washed her face and then told her gently as her eyes drifted closed, "go to sleep for a while; I'll be right here." He remained with her until he was sure she was asleep and then standing up, he placed the chair back behind his desk and quietly returned the ruler to its place, hoping that this was the last of his discipline problems, with anyone, for a long while.

He glanced over at Katherine and sighed. She had a long road ahead of her if Harry's explanation was anything to go by. The fact she was already feeling the strain, less than 48 hours after finding out abut the charges, showed she wasn't going to be able to shrug things off so easily; he would have to keep a very close eye on her emotional state. Walking over, he gently brushed her hair away from her face, careful not to wake her and reaffirmed, "I'll be right here."


	24. The Process Begins

_**Author's Remark**_

_After reading through some of the reviews, some of which I was NOT notified were actually there, I wanted to wet the appetite a little. To date, Severus has gained himself an apprentice and a ward, one which is slowly driving him to distraction. Still, with the changes after the war, he is slowly going to become a parent figure to Katherine and you will see this reflected as the story continues. Nothing too much in the way of fluff, just a more concerned effort above a regular Master/Apprentice relationship. Still, Katherine being Katherine will keep our staid and serious potion's master on his toes. You will see some more of young McCuithbert as he begins to feel more comfortable with Severus and his Slytherin housemates; (that is a hint to a past chapter :) ). _

_As the interaction with the American directorate begins, there will be some more flashbacks from Severus to his academy days. While Severus had the marauders at Hogwarts, his new nemesis is Michaels, who he considers to be nothing more than an obnoxious, loud mouthed American. Master Troyan has been nudging me as well and wants back into the story. I haven't made up my mind exactly where he will come in but I imagine as these flashbacks occur, Master Troyan will certainly make an appearance. _

_Katherine is going to slowly come to terms with things but will be getting a lot of help from Severus as well as Harry; for who can better understand the fear and frustrations of being nearly helpless as events play out, than Harry?_

_**Chapter Note**__: This chapter is a little shorter than usual and is meant only as a stop gap to the next chapter. Harry will soon be meeting with Agent Benson from the US and the full story of just why the charges were brought will finally be known. Updates may still be sporadic as I am in two very demanding graduate level courses and will be travelling heavily for work over the next few months. I am hoping to use the long and boring travel time in various planes and trains to work on more updates :)_

Chapter 24: The Process Begins

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_Hogwarts_

Severus made his way back down to the great hall after posting a letter and Katherine's statement to Harry. He had meant to do it last night but also knew Harry wouldn't actually read it until this morning, so he doubted the delay would be an issue.

Severus knew Katherine was still upset not only from the punishment he had issued, but also due to the charges facing her. After she had woken up, he had spoken with her some more but the conversation had been more or less one sided. She had eaten very little at dinner and while she had worked on her homework at the table until curfew while Severus graded essays, she had not spoken unless Severus asked her a direct question. She had looked up at him in surprise when she felt his hand on her shoulder and simply nodded when he reminded her it was curfew. He had watched as she gathered up her work and went quietly to her room. Concerned at her lack of any response, he went to check on her about 15 minutes later. When he had received no reply at his knock, he had opened the door only to find Katherine sound asleep. What he did see, however, was that Katherine's cheeks were wet with new traces of tears. He had pulled the blankets up around her shoulders and then left the room.

This morning, Katherine had managed to leave their rooms before Severus could talk to her. Walking into the great hall, he saw that Katherine was seated with her friends at the Slytherin table but wasn't actively engaged in the morning bustle. He sincerely hoped Harry could hurry things up. Severus wasn't sure just how much Katherine could take.

_Ministry of Magic_

Harry was ready to spit nails. It was 9:30 in the morning, on a Monday of course and he was over two hours late to work. Just as he was heading towards the lift to make his way to his office, an overeager owl knocked his briefcase out of his hand and it landed on the floor, opening up and spilling a bunch of case files all over the floor. As Harry swore to himself and bent down to pick up the scattered papers, the owl landed on his shoulder and pecked at his ear to get his attention.

"Stupid bird," Harry growled as he reached up and let the owl step up onto his closed fist, "what do you want?"

The bird meeped at him and held out its foot where Harry noticed the envelope. Setting the bird down on the back of nearby visitor's bench, Harry, despite his irritation, gently untied the envelope and then, muttering to himself, gave in and handed the bird one of the owl treats he always carried with him.

"You don't deserve it you stupid crow, but thanks for the letter." Still, Harry had to smile a little as the bird meeped back at him and took off. Harry shoved the letter in his pocket and then turned back in order to finish cleaning up the files; he'd have to sort them again when he got to his office. Since he was late, the lift actually got to his floor with no other stops. Walking down the corridor to his office, Harry stopped suddenly when Ron came out of his office and almost mowed Harry down.

"Oops, sorry mate, didn't see you there," Ron said with a smile. "Ginny called and said you were running late. Rough morning I take it?"

"You don't know the half of it," Harry muttered, as the two now walked down to Harry's office. Opening the door, Harry walked in and Ron followed, closing the door behind him and watching as Harry dropped his briefcase on the desk and sat down. Harry waved his wand and two large cups of steaming hot coffee appeared. Gesturing to the chair in front of his desk Harry said, "have a seat and let me regale you with this morning's adventures."

Ron took the chair indicated and picked up the second cup, smiling as he sipped. Harry always had made the best coffee.

"You know mom and dad were over for dinner last night and everything was great. Problem is, when Ginny and I went to bed, each of us thought the other had already set the alarm, well, it turned out neither of us did. So, first, we overslept. Then, Teddy decided he didn't want to go to school and it took forever to get him ready. On top of that, because Teddy was being such a little brat, James decided to add his two year old worth and gave a new meaning to the term the terrible two's. I got Teddy to school and then had to explain why he was an hour late, which made me even later here. I detest Mondays," Harry finished with a grimace. "To top it off, I finally get here and some owl I swear was on some sort of hyperactivity potion managed to knock my briefcase out of my hand, which of course promptly opened up after it hit the floor, scattering the files which I now have to wade through and try and put back in some semblance of order. I swear that bird must be a relative of Pig's."

Ron laughed. "Just what the wizarding world needs, a full-sized version of Pigwidgeon. What was so important that this owl almost got it's tail feathers singed?"

"Oh, I almost forgot," Harry said with a grimace, pulling the letter out of his pocket. Looking at the envelope, Harry just noticed the red stripe around the edge indicating the missive was urgent. When he saw the handwriting, Harry cast a silencing charm around the room before turning back to Ron.

"It's from Severus," Harry said at Ron's questioning look. Knowing Ron wasn't up to date on the facts, Harry quickly filled him in on Katherine's antics.

"Oh man," Ron stated with a whistle. "That girl won't sit for a week when Snape gets done with her."

"He was pretty, uhm, upset, but, I think I got him calmed down a bit before I left."

Opening the letter, Harry pulled out six sheets of parchment. Glancing at them for a moment Harry put some on the desk and explained "those four sheets are Katherine's statement." At Ron's nod, Harry read the other two letters out loud to Ron.

_Auror Potter. I am deeply sorry for breaking the tracking restrictions and ask your pardon. I do appreciate your effort to help me understand what is happening and I promise I will do my best to just wait things out, but, I am afraid of what is going to happen. My statement is enclosed and if you have any questions, you know where to find me. With all respect, Katherine._

"What did you say to her when you found her?" Ron asked curiously.

"Not much. Just let her know that she needed to trust Severus and me and to stay put. She wasn't trying to run off, just trying to get away by herself for a bit. She's scared and doesn't know who she can trust just yet."

Ron nodded and Harry read the other letter, this one from Severus.

_Harry, as you can see, I have enclosed the statement from Katherine. I assure you she will not be breaking her restriction again and will remain within her designated boundaries. While she seems to have calmed a bit, I am still concerned for her ongoing ability to deal with what is happening. Please do what you can to hurry this along; I await your word. Severus._

After he stopped reading, Harry looked up at Ron.

"How are things going with the extradition?"

"Well, " Ron said. It's only been about 48 hours since we contacted the American directorate; I really haven't had time as yet to drive them too crazy. I can probably delay things a week or so easily."

Harry nodded. "Work on it if you would. I am going to read through Katherine's statement and see if anything jumps out. I may need to go talk to her if I need clarification. Once I have a clear picture, I will contact Agent Benson and set up a quick meeting. Hopefully, with Katherine's statement and some veritaserum, Benson will accept her statement and that will be the end of it. If not, we could be headed for the states for a full trial. I'd like to avoid that if at all possible. First because I'm not sure Katherine could really handle that pressure and second, I really detest international floo."

"The American directorate won't even be open for another 4 hours so we have to wait. I am expecting a call but maybe I'll conveniently be out to lunch," Ron quipped.

Harry smiled. "Take your coffee you mooch and get out of here so I can read through Katherine's statement. Let me know if you hear from the Americans."

"Will do mate," Ron shot back as he opened the door and left the office.

Harry snagged the sheets of parchment and sitting back in his chair with his coffee close by, he began reading.


	25. Paving the Way

_**Author's Remark**_

_I do apologize for the delay. I got stuck with some last minute business travel which then resulted in a case of double pneumonia; I am hoping to have at least another chapter of Protege up over the weekend. This is a long one as it involves four different locations; I couldn't find a good stopping point :)._

_In this chapter you will be introduced to Agent Nelson from the American Intelligence Agency (AIA)._

Chapter 25: Paving the Way

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_Ministry of Magic_

Harry finished reading Katherine's statement and laid it on his desk, taking another sip of his now nearly cold coffee. He had to admit he was impressed. Her statement was very detailed and written well. Pointing his wand at his cup, Harry warmed up the contents and contemplated his next move.

He really did need to talk with Agent Nelson. Katherine's statement shed a lot of light on what Harry had been told by the American Intelligence Agency and he felt Agent Nelson needed to see what Katherine had written. As Harry had told Ron, with any luck, Agent Nelson would take the statement at face value and drop the whole thing. Unfortunately, knowing even the little bit that he did about how the American Intelligence Agency worked, Harry seriously doubted the Americans would just let this go. No, they were going to want a full trial.

Harry glanced at the clock; 10:30. That meant it was still only about 5:30 in the states, so the Agency wouldn't open for another few hours. Not much he could do until they opened so Harry took the mess of files from his briefcase and started to put them back in order.

_Hogwarts_

Severus had his hands full with the new first years. They were brewing a simple deflating solution but seemed to be having a problem determining the difference between clockwise stirring and counter clockwise stirring. Three cauldrons had almost melted and in watching the entertainment, several other students had managed to turn their deflating solution into a hard, baked on goo that would take anyone getting detention in the near future a good 5 hours of scrubbing to get clean. Still, Severus hadn't exploded, much. He simply assigned an impossibly long essay due by the next class and sent the students on their way.

Breathing in a sigh of relief, Severus made his way back to his office. He had an hour break now before lunch and he didn't have another class until 1. Severus really enjoyed his Monday schedule for once. The two classes this afternoon were upper levels, 6th and 7th years, students who were continuing into their NEWTs and were much more dedicated to the subject. He rarely had problems in the classes and was present more to answer any questions than to actually keep accidents from happening. Katherine would be in the 7th year class today to brew some basic potions just for review purposes.

She had been very quiet and had avoided speaking to him before she left their quarters. He knew she hadn't eaten that morning but he was sure she would be at lunch. He would try and talk to her for a few minutes before her first class after lunch, but if he missed her, he would see her during the final period of the day.

Settling back in his chair with a fresh cup of coffee in his hand, Severus put his feet up on the stool and just relaxed.

_Ministry of Magic: 1 PM_

"Hedwig," Harry called.

Harry smiled as his ever ready snowy flew in and landed gently on his outstretched arm. Handing her an owl treat, he watched as she ate it with the grace she exhibited and stroked her chest gently.

When she meeped at him in question, he held out an envelope.

"I need you to take a letter to the American Intelligence Agency for me. I know you hate traveling through the floo network but this is important; I can't wait for you to make the transatlantic flight. I also need you to stay there until Agent Nelson gives you a reply."

Hedwig meeped at him again and gently nibbled at his fingers.

Harry understood the message; she would gladly take the letter for him.

Tying the light letter to her leg, he walked over to the fireplace and tossing in a handful of floo powder, called:

"Agent Nelson, American Intelligence Agency."

As soon as the flames turned green, Hedwig gave another happy hoot and flew into the flames; in an instant she was gone.

Now, all Harry had to do was wait.

_Hogwarts_

Severus walked around the classroom slowly, watching his 7th year NEWT students as they brewed the base for the Polyjuice potion. Seeing that everything was going well, he made his way over to Katherine who had already completed the deflating potion and was now working on her Polyjuice potion base.

"How are you doing?" Severus asked her.

"Fine," she answered, her voice lacking enthusiasm or interest. "The base is almost finished. I will probably need to put it under stasis and complete it tomorrow. It needs to sit for at least 24 hours."

"Good," he praised, looking for any sign of life in her dull eyes. "Finish up here and then you may go."

Severus watched Katherine for another few moments before turning back to his other NEWT students. A few minutes later, he saw her gather her notes and equipment and make her way to their shared quarters. He would need to try and talk to her, get her to understand that people were doing everything they could for her. If she continued to feel so depressed, it would only make things worse. 'What she needs,' he thought to himself, 'is a shot of hope.'

_American Directorate: American Intelligence Agency 10 am_

Agent Benjamin Nelson walked back into his office after the morning meeting with his department. A normal occurrence, it was just to get a heads up on what the other agents were involved with and to get their progress and deal with any issues. Just as he was getting another cup of weak coffee, 'need to bring in that new pot' he thought to himself, a beautiful snowy owl came through the cold fireplace in a flash of green flames. He watched, amused, as the snowy flew over to his desk and made herself comfortable on the edge of his wooden inbox. Looking up at him and fluffing her wings before settling back, she held out her leg importantly and waited patiently for him to take the letter tied to her leg.

"Aren't you a pretty one," he crooned, gently taking the letter from her leg and giving her one of the ever present owl treats he had hand, "who is this from?" Using her best manners, Hedwig took the treat gently from his hand and chewed contentedly as she waited for him to read the letter.

Making sure the owl was settled and comfortable, Agent Nelson noted the seal of the English Auror office on the letter. Unsealing it, he took out the single piece of parchment 'Brits and their parchment' he thought, amused. Sitting down, he read:

_Agent Nelson: _

_We received your report and extradition request for one Katherine Marks. We are working on our own internal investigation until the extradition process can be completed and have been in contact with Ms Marks. She has been fitted with a tracking system we use to monitor non-violent offenders, similar to house arrest. Her guardian has assured me he will be responsible for making sure she remains within the restrictions placed by the tracker bracelet she is wearing. _

_Ms Marks has written a detailed statement that I believe will aid in your investigation. I am requesting a meeting to take place with all involved parties that we may, hopefully, avoid extradition and a possible trial. If you agree to the meeting, please reply back with the best date and time. Since Ms Marks is in the middle of the school term, I request that the meeting take place here in the UK to avoid a lengthy disruption in her classes. _

_Hedwig, my owl, has been instructed to wait for your response. Once you give her the letter, please send her back through the floo network to my residence; you need only say "Potter residence."_

_I appreciate your time and consideration and respectfully await your reply._

_Harry Potter_

_Head Auror_

_Ministry of Magic_

"Potter…Potter," Agent Nelson mused, "why does that name sound so familiar?"

Sitting down, he flipped on his computer and did a quick wizard search on the Potter name. His eyes widened when the information on one Harry Potter came up.

"Holy cow it's THAT Potter."

Getting up with the letter in hand, Agent Nelson walked over to his supervisor's door and after knocking and gaining permission to enter, he opened the door and walked in.

"Sir," he said respectfully, once the Lead Agent, Agent-in-Charge Zack Benson, looked up in question, "I have a letter from the Auror office in the UK requesting a meeting to discuss the Marks' case."

Handing the letter to Agent Benson, he waited as it was read and knew the moment Agent Benson had reached the signature.

"Harry Potter," he questioned…"is that THE Harry Potter?"

"According to the database, he is Sir. Do we want to schedule that meeting or should we make a request for the arraignment?"

"According to this, it looks like the Auror office may have some additional information. It may be a ploy to try and delay our investigation here but I don't see a reason we can't accommodate them in the interest of international cooperation. Go ahead and schedule at your convenience but unless something huge comes of this additional information, don't give in to any requests to drop the case. The Directorate is bucking for a full trial and I doubt highly they are going to change their minds, not when this spans both the wizard and muggle worlds," he said as he handed the letter back to Agent Nelson.

"Agreed Sir. I'll respond back as soon as I check the schedule. Other than the Marks case my case load is light right now so unless something else comes in, I can schedule this for early next week."

"Just let me know when you will be gone."

"Yes Sir," Nelson replied as he made his way out of the office, closing the door quietly behind him.

Walking back to his office, he found the snowy, 'Hedwig,' he remembered, snoozing a bit. Chirruping quietly to her to alert her to his presence, he chuckled as she opened her eyes and glared at him balefully for interrupting her nap.

"I know you had a long flight girl so just relax for a few minutes while I write up this response. You'll be home in time for dinner," he said, as he gently stroked her breast. Hedwig meeped at him and then promptly put her head back under her wing.

Picking up his pen, he wrote:

_Auror Potter;_

_I have been instructed to schedule the meeting you have requested in an effort to gain any and all information related to this case. I am available on Tuesday of next week and would be able to arrive for an early afternoon meeting. Should additional time be necessary, I have been given leave to remain as long as necessary._

_Please let me know of your arrangements so I may coordinate things on my end._

_Respectfully,_

_Agent Benjamin Nelson_

_American Intelligence Agency_

Placing the letter in a small envelope and sealing it, he gently touched Hedwig's head and waited as she came out from under her wing and looked up at him. Holding up the letter he said, "ready to go home girl?"

Hedwig fluffed her wings in an uncanny imitation of a human stretch and held out her leg so Agent Nelson could tie the letter securely.

Handing her one more owl treat, he held out his arm and waited for her to jump on. Carrying her over to the floo, he tossed in the floo powder and intoned "Potter residence," then said, "safe flight girl," and watched as Hedwig took off and disappeared in a flash of green flames.

_Potter Residence 4 PM_

Ginny gasped a little in surprise when the fireplace flames suddenly turned green and Hedwig flew out and made straight for her perch sitting next to the fireplace.

"Hey Hedwig," Ginny said, "what are you doing home?"

Holding out her leg, Hedwig gave a low, tired hoot.

Gently taking the letter, Ginny handed a piece of apple to Hedwig before taking the letter and laying it on Harry's desk in the small study he had created for himself. She looked around in amusement. By mutual agreement, this room was off limits to her cleaning. Harry was not a slob by any means but he tended to leave things in neat little piles. Folders and books littered many of the available surfaces and books that managed to actually make it to the bookshelf were haphazardly stacked. Still, she knew Harry could find whatever he needed in an instant so she dutifully avoided the room, keeping the door closed to keep the boys from messing up whatever filing system Harry used and only occasionally went in to run a duster over things. Harry was good about straightening up when need be, which was usually just straightening the stacks into straighter stacks and maybe standing the books up properly in the bookcase.

Walking back down the short hall, she peeked into Teddy's where the boys were playing, making sure the boys were well occupied, before going back to the kitchen to finish dinner. Looking at the clock, Harry wouldn't be home for at least another hour or so and hopefully he wouldn't be caught late for a new case.

_Hogwarts_

Severus dismissed his students and made his way back to his quarters. It was still an hour before dinner and he wanted a chance to relax a little before having to make his way up to the Great Hall. He always went to dinner to make sure his snakes were all accounted for and weren't up to any after class mischief; they knew better.

Walking into his quarters, he spotted Katherine sitting at the table, her books spread out and concentrating on what looked to be a detailed essay. Since he had not assigned her one, he made the assumption it was for a different class.

He walked up to her, making sure to make just enough noise that he wouldn't startle her. As he approached, she looked up.

"Long essay?" he asked.

"Transfiguration," Katherine answered. "Professor McGonagall assigned the entire class a four foot essay because we missed a few important points in the reading. She said it was either that or a detailed exam. We took the essay."

"Good choice," Severus said wryly, well remembering Minerva's idea of a detailed exam. Two hours of pure torture was a better description.

"Is that the reason you are so down today or is this left over from yesterday's events" Severus asked.

Katherine just sighed. Laying down her quill, she capped her ink before answering.

"I don't know. I am just scared that this whole scenario is going to play out badly. I can't solve the mystery myself but have to rely on the fact that Auror Potter, you and the incompetent idiots at the American Directorate are the one's that will prove or disprove my innocence. I have been effectively on my own for 3 years; relying on others just doesn't feel right."

Severus put his hand lightly on Katherine's shoulder. "What you have to believe Katherine is that Auror Potter and I are going to do whatever is necessary to prove you innocent of the charges. A quick interrogation under Veritaserum will prove your story and that type of testimony is accepted in all wizard courts no matter the country or location. Like I said last night, I know this is difficult for you but you have to let yourself trust that we are going to do everything we can. You aren't alone."

He patted her shoulder. "Let's go up to dinner and then maybe I can help you a bit with that essay. Given the year and the timing, I have a feeling I did the exact same assignment."

A few minutes later, Katherine and Severus walked out of their shared quarters and made their way to the Great Hall. While Katherine still wasn't exactly happy, at least the overall despondent feeling she had all day had dissipated somewhat. For some reason she trusted Severus' word and for now, she would cling to that thought.

_Potter Residence_

Ginny heard the tell tale crack of someone apparating. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was probably Harry.

'Right on time,' she thought to herself.

Walking towards the door, she was about halfway there when Teddy came running out, James toddling behind him, and launched himself at the door, opening it to reveal Harry with his hand poised to open the door.

"Hey there kiddo," Harry said with a smile, opening his arms to the little whirlwind.

Teddy wasted no time and promptly threw himself into Harry's arms, giggling when Harry embraced him in a tight hug.

"Let's see what's for dinner huh? " Harry said to the small boy. "I'm starving."

Standing up and taking Teddy's hand in his, Harry made his way inside, only to see Ginny standing in the living room.

"There won't be any dinner for you unless you greet me properly," Ginny groused in jest.

Harry laughed and swept Ginny into a hug, kissing her in greeting. Releasing her he teased back.

"Can I have my dinner now?"

Laughing, Ginny gave him a halfhearted smack on the back of his head.

"Go get changed, dinner will be on the table in a minute. Oh, before I forget, Hedwig brought a letter about an hour ago; I set it on your desk in the study."

"Good, I am guessing that is the return reply from the American Directorate. I sent Hedwig with a letter to the American Intelligence Agency requesting a meeting. I told her to wait for the reply," he explained. "Back in a minute."

Walking down the hall to their bedroom, Harry changed out of his work robes and into a comfortable pair of jeans and jumper. Walking into his study, he picked up the letter, smiling when he saw the reply.

Pulling out a sheet of parchment, he wrote up a short letter to Severus. Folding it, he walked into the living room to find Hedwig snoozing on her perch.

"Hey girl," he said gently, rousing the owl. "Can I get you to make a quick trip to Hogwarts to get this letter to Severus?" he asked her.

Harry chuckled when Hedwig just glared at him. "I promise, no more deliveries for a couple of days," he said, and chuckled again when Hedwig did a great imitation of rolling her eyes at him before sighing in resignation and holding out her leg for Harry to attach the letter.

"Thanks girl. Safe flight."

Harry opened the nearby window and watched as Hedwig took flight. As soon as she was out of sight, he closed the window and started walking towards the kitchen, catching up James in his arms on the way and giving the small boy a big kiss on the cheek. With the giggling child in his arms, he made his way into the kitchen to get his waiting dinner.

_Hogwarts_

Severus was at the staff table in the Great Hall finishing up dinner when he noticed a few students pointing towards the ceiling. Looking up, he saw an owl making its way from the doorway, which explained the reason for the student's interest; normally owls only showed up at breakfast. Looking again as the owl got closer, he realized it was Harry's owl, Hedwig, and he waited to see whom she was aiming for in the room. Unsurprised when she landed gracefully in front of him, he handed her the last bit of roll he had on his plate and gently untied the letter she was carrying. As soon as Hedwig finished the roll, she meeped at Severus, gave him a gentle nip on the hand and took flight, winging her way back out the way she had come.

Severus opened the letter and read:

_Severus.....I just received word from the AIA. They have agreed to a meeting and will arrive on Tuesday next. I had thought to hold the meeting at the auror offices at the ministry but as you know, I am trying to keep this case from becoming known to the ministry; I think a meeting there at Hogwarts would be a better location. If you can accommodate, please let me know, otherwise, I will make arrangements at our office._

_Respectfully_

_Harry_

After excusing himself, Severus walked out of the Great Hall making his way towards Dumbledore's office to make the necessary arrangements.


	26. Building Pressure

Chapter 26: Building Pressure

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_Hogwarts 11 AM_

It was Monday and Severus was sitting at his desk marking fifth year essays. Being the OWL year, he was particularly hard on these students, and his red ink was being used liberally. As each essay passed his eyes, he grew more and more aggravated. 'Don't these kids LISTEN in class? Do they even bother to read the material?' he grumbled to himself. Finishing up the last essay and marking it with a large "D", he took a look at his gradebook, at the grades he had just assigned. 50 fifth year potions students all assigned the same essay. Of those 50, only 10 had managed passing scores, and only 3 of those were at 'exceeds expectations' or higher. 35 of the failures were actually below the 'dreadful' mark. Based on the work to date, Severus decided to implement a new rule, or a new torture as they would see it, for his OWL students. Anyone receiving a grade of 'D' or lower would be required to redo the failed essay. He imagined their grades would improve very quickly if they ever wanted to have any free time, given the large amount of homework he assigned during this particular year.

Dropping his quill on the desk, he capped his ink bottle and leaned back, rubbing at his forehead to try and ease the headache that was starting. The previous week had not gone well and this week was probably not going to be much better. The meeting with the AIA Agent was tomorrow evening. After he had gotten Harry's letter notifying him that the AIA had agreed to a meeting, he had quickly made arrangements with the Headmaster to hold the meeting in the Room of Requirement. He had then told Katherine of the meeting and watched as she had all but closed down in front of him. She had been keeping to herself for the most part, so much so that Severus had allowed her to spend this past weekend in the company of her friends, easing her previous restriction in the hopes of taking her mind off things if only for a couple of days. Unfortunately, when she had returned to their quarters on Sunday evening, she didn't look any happier then she had previously. In fact, her attitude seemed to have deteriorated and while she hadn't done anything that would cause Severus to take any action, he knew that eventually she was going to blow. He had tried to talk her down hoping to avoid a problem later, but, he was not entirely sure he had gotten through to her.

This morning she had barely spoken to him, eating her breakfast and then picking up her books to head to class. He had tried to reassure her again and could only hope that he had succeeded, but in truth, her ongoing despondency was worrying him. She would be in the final period 7th year class today to brew a particularly difficult potion she had requested to practice, one that Severus didn't want her trying, in her current mental state, to brew on her own.

_Hogwarts 2 PM_

Severus walked over to check on Katherine's progress with the Wolfsbane potion. Precision was critical or the potion could prove deadly to the drinker. As he walked up, he caught a glimpse of the ingredient Katherine was getting ready to add to her cauldron. Taking a large stride in order to reach her, he grabbed her wrist before she could tip in the pale liquid from the vial she was holding.

"Wait," Severus said sternly. "Read your instructions. It says to add the oil of Wintergreen only AFTER you add the crushed Aconite. Your Aconite is still sitting on the table. Adding the Wintergreen first would have caused a hot enough fire to melt the cauldron and the table," he finished as he released her wrist, "pay attention."

Katherine lowered the Wintergreen Oil back to the table, "I saw it and was going to stop and correct myself," she snapped, "as you would have seen if you had waited a second longer."

There was a noise of collective indrawn breaths from the other four students in the room who waited anxiously for Severus' explosion. Ignoring the stares of the other students, Severus grabbed Katherine's chin, forcing her to look up at him, and gritted out.

"Don't you EVER speak to me that way again young lady," he said harshly. "Your little temper tantrum just cost you a week's worth of detentions." He glared at her for a few moments longer until she dropped her eyes to the floor despite his hand still holding her chin captive. At her submission, he released her. "Get back to work and pay attention," he finished sternly.

Finding her place in the book she was using, Katherine picked up the Aconite and with a shaking hand, attempted to add it to the gently bubbling liquid in the cauldron. Unfortunately, her shaking hand caused her to tip in too much and what should have been a change to a thin, bright green liquid, turned into a thick, barely viscous, dark blue liquid instead. Katherine quickly tried to hide the error but a few seconds later, a loud puff of smoke caught Severus' attention and he turned back around from his position at another student's table. Walking back over to Katherine, he somehow managed to reign in his temper and without a word to Katherine, cleared her cauldron with a quick wave of his wand.

"Since you can't seem to concentrate, you may return to our quarters. I want a minimum 4 foot essay on the Wolfsbane potion, its use and characteristics, the ingredients and their properties, the brewing order and the proper way to brew the potion. Maybe by writing it out you can mange to brew it properly. This is a mandatory potion that you have to brew to become a Potions Master and failing it will mean failing the entire certification exam regardless of your other scores."

Gritting her teeth and nodding to acknowledge his orders, Katherine gathered her cauldron and other items and started to walk away, only to a stop with an aggravated hiss as Severus reached out and stopped her.

"I did not hear anything indicating you understood my instructions," he said sternly, "so I will repeat."

"Return to our quarters. I want a minimum 4 foot essay on the Wolfsbane potion, its use and characteristics, the ingredients and their properties, the brewing order and the proper way to brew the potion."

Barely keeping a hold of her temper and only doing so because she was well aware of what would happen if she didn't, Katherine muttered through still gritted teeth, "yes Professor" but still didn't walk away until Severus nodded, 'hypocrite' Katherine thought to herself, and released her arm.

Walking through the door between the classroom and Severus' office, Katherine closed the door a little harder than necessary. Severus tightened his lips and rather than stalk after her right then and there to deal with her attitude, he once again reigned in his temper and turned his attention back to his other students; he would deal with Katherine's attitude later.

_Hogwarts 4 PM_

Severus dismissed his students and made his way back to his quarters, glad that classes were over for the day but not happy that he now had a grumpy ward to discipline.

Setting his mouth in a grim line, he walked in and noticed that Katherine had made the smart decision and seemed to be working on the assigned essay. She looked up when she heard the door open and Severus saw that she was far from happy. Her attitude seemed to have melted away and she was looking like any other student who had crossed the line, and knew it. Before she could open her mouth, Severus sternly said one word "corner."

Sighing, Katherine immediately stood and made her way over to the only open corner in the quarters, which, unfortunately for her nerves, was way too near to the chair Severus preferred when he put a student over his knee. She knew she was in trouble; she just wasn't sure how much, though from what she had said, she was pretty certain she wasn't going to be sitting comfortably for dinner. It didn't help her nerves when Severus remained silent for several long minutes; she could FEEL him glaring at her back. Finally, he spoke.

"My original intention when I walked in was to just put you over my knee and solve the problem that way, however, I think I know where the attitude is coming from but I am warning you right now young lady that you had better lose the attitude with me if you value being able to sit for any length of time. You will remain in this corner until I give you permission to do otherwise; you can think about your atrocious behavior and what you are going to do to remedy the attitude. You will remain still and quiet; is that clear?"

"Yes Sir," she answered immediately.

Katherine relaxed only slightly when she felt his presence move way, taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. She hated the corner but much preferred it to the alternative.

Severus watched Katherine for a moment, taking note when she relaxed as he backed away and gave her some space. He still wasn't happy with her but did know the pressure she was under due to her circumstances. While he was not going to completely excuse her behavior, he knew his usual method of dealing with attitude would possibly only make things worse on her. He could afford to be a little lenient as long as that leniency did not result in worse behavior. This time, he would go relatively easy on her if her current cooperative and respectful attitude continued.

Severus let Katherine cool her heels in the corner for a good 30 minutes but he had to give her credit. Despite the long standing, she had remained stock still, not even leaning onto the wall at some attempt to ease the strain on her legs.

His voice a little less harsh, he called her to him. "Katherine, come here."

When she turned, he noticed tear tracks on her face which surprised him. Despite his ability to read his students, he hadn't realized she had been crying. He waited as she walked over to him and when she got close, he turned slightly and gestured her to sit on the couch. She sat down and immediately focused on her hands, which she had crossed in her lap.

Rather than tower over her, Severus took a seat next to her and placing his hand on her shoulder, turned her to face him. "Look at me," he said.

Katherine managed to drag her head up, swallowing hard as she met the dark eyes of her guardian.

"I don't think I need to tell you how very disappointed I am in your behavior today," he said. "Your attitude in class was absolutely unwarranted and to speak to me like that in public, in front of other students, makes the disrespect that much worse. I realize you are upset over the restrictions you are under and the related reason for that restriction, but know now that if you EVER speak to me that way again, in public or otherwise, I will not hesitate to use my ruler to correct the error. Am I clear?"

"Yes Sir," Katherine said miserably, "I'm sorry. I don't even know why I reacted the way I did. I mean I understand why you stopped me but I can't seem to shake this feeling of doom and its making me crazy" she continued almost desperately, the tears welling up and spilling down her cheeks. "I can't stand the waiting!"

Severus gave in and pulled her into a hug, holding her as she cried, letting her release some of the tension that had built up over the last week. It took a few minutes but when she finally calmed a bit, he pulled back, summoning a cool damp cloth and handing it to her to wipe her face before he went on.

"I realize this is hard on you but you just have to hold on for a bit. The meeting tomorrow will help us determine what further steps will need to be taken, if any. What is important is that you conduct yourself as I know you can while in this meeting and not lose your temper or show poor attitude and disrespect. Your actions during this meeting are going to be important in what Agent Nelson recommends to the AIA and the American Directorate. What is very important in the meantime, until this situation has been fully resolved, is that if you start feeling overwhelmed again, you need to talk to me instead of letting it build into an attitude problem that is going to accomplish nothing except getting you into trouble."

Flushing, Katherine dropped her gaze and remained silent, not sure if Severus' words required an answer.

"Your detentions stand for the week with the exception of tomorrow evening. The rest of the week you will be cleaning out the main potions store room. Any expired ingredients need to be removed, the good ingredients catalogued and cross referenced by name and date of expiry and a list generated of any ingredients needing to be restocked." Katherine's shoulders dropped; there were well over 500 ingredients on those shelves.

Severus tipped up Katherine's chin again waiting for her to meet his gaze. "I am going against my better judgment and being lenient with you this time, do not make me regret this," he said sternly.

"No Sir, you won't regret it" Katherine answered with a sigh, knowing full well she had just dodged a particularly painful bullet.

* * *

For anyone wondering why I chose Wintergreen. I needed something flammable :) that was a naturally occurring oil. I found this write-up under a search for essential oils, most of which are flammable and it fit what might be contained in the Wolfsbane potion. I pinged on the words muscle, joint and connective tissue injuries and pain.

"Wintergreen has been used for many centuries in conditions such as muscle, joint and connective tissue injuries and pain, inflamed nerves, coughs, colds, bronchitis and asthma."


	27. Revelations Part I

Authors Note: My sincere apologies for the delay in posting. I am still typing one-handed and the medical appointments for follow-ups have me running around a bit. On top of that, I was working off my laptop which didn't have the extra two chapters that were already posted and I sort of wrote them over again. When I went to post, I realized they were already there. :)

To make up a little, this is roughly three chapters in one; I just couldn't find a good stopping point. Ideas for chapters are flowing and right now, the only problem is getting them down on paper..so to speak. You are going to hear a little more of the specifics behind Katherine's story prior to her presence at the Academy. I am writing this in two parts so I can get this one posted.

Chapter 27: Revelations Part I

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_Auror Headquarters: Thursday 1 PM_

Harry glanced at the clock and got up from his desk just as a knock came on his door. "Come," he said absently, as he checked to make sure Katherine's file was in his briefcase before closing it securely and silently hoping it wasn't some emergency. He had just enough time to get to Hogwarts and back in order to meet Agent Nelson from the AIA at the floo station in Hogsmeade.

"Hey Harry," he heard, glancing up to see Ron. "Ready to go?"

"On my way. Agent Nelson is supposed to be arriving at the Hogsmeade floo at 3. The meeting at Hogwarts is scheduled for 4 but I wanted to get to Hogwarts first before meeting Agent Nelson just to check on Ms Marks. "

"Why schedule it so late?" Ron asked as he walked with Harry to the lift.

"Severus. He wanted to make sure both his and Katherine's classes were over for the day, plus to give both of them time to relax a little before the meeting. Severus, as well as I, am hoping that once this initial meeting is over with, Katherine will be in a better frame of mind. Severus is worried," here Ron snorted, ignoring him Harry went on "well, as much as he can be worried," Harry conceded," that the meeting could add more upset to Katherine, which she definitely doesn't need. We are going to use veritaserum but since it will be one brewed by Severus, we are not sure how well Agent Nelson will take the testimony."

"Snape is fully licensed Potions Master and even I know he wouldn't do anything illegal," Ron said, as he waited with Harry by the lift. "What does the AIA expect? Snape to brew the serum in full view of AIA witnesses?"

Harry just shrugged as he stepped into the lift. "We'll work with things," he said, as he pressed the button for the lobby but held the door for a moment. "If Severus has to brew in front of witnesses, I am sure he will accommodate. I do know, however, that he probably wouldn't allow a non-tested version of the serum brewed by the AIA to be used on Ms Marks if they do decide on a full trial in the states."

"Let me know how it goes," Ron said as he waved at Harry through the closing lift doors, seeing Harry nod in response.

_Hogwarts 2:00 PM_

Harry walked through the gates at Hogwarts, smiling slightly at the memories. He had to wonder just how many other prior students of the school had that seem feeling as they walked through the gates as adults, parents and grandparents.

Sending his patronus to Dumbledore in forewarning, Harry continued his walk, taking a good look at the grounds he had so often travelled. In too short a time, he reached the massive doors that stood guard over the castle entrance and pushing slightly, he walked in. Nothing had really changed much. The damage done at the final battle had been long since cleared and repaired and the castle walls were the same gray-brown stone color he remembered. The class period had just begun so there were no students in the halls. He heard a few faint voices coming from the great hall and peeking in, he noticed a few students talking as they studied during their free period.

Turning away from the great hall with the intent to head to Dumbledore's office, Harry was startled slightly as Nearly Headless Nick floated up to him, a broad smile on the gray face. "Harry Potter," he boomed. "So GOOD to see you. What brings you back?"

"Hello Sir Nicholas," Harry responded back with a grin. "Official auror business," Harry responded. "On my way to see Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape and Katherine Marks."

"Oh Ms Katherine, a wonderful girl. Do tell her hello from me," Nick said as he started to float off, mumbling something unintelligible.

"Sure Sir Nicholas," Harry muttered bemusedly as he continued his walk to the headmaster's office, "no problem."

As Harry came up to the gargoyle that still stood sentry at the entrance to the headmaster's office, Harry was surprise when the gargoyle activated the staircase without waiting for the password. "Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you," the statue said in explanation.

"Thanks," Harry muttered as he stepped onto the moving staircase.

Harry was a little surprised to see Dumbledore waiting at his open office door.

"Harry," the old man said, smiling widely. "Welcome, welcome."

"Hello Professor," Harry said with a smile. "How are you?"

"Well, thank you," Dumbledore said, as he led Harry into the office, "though worried as you can imagine. I feel today's meeting is going to be a turning point for our Ms Marks."

"Hopefully a good turning point," Harry added as he walked over to Fawks, giving the Phoenix a quick scratch on the head and smiling as Fawks trilled a greeting.

"Are Severus and Katherine available?" Harry questioned.

Glancing at the clock, Dumbledore replied. "Severus' last class for the day dismisses at 2:15; Ms Marks has completed her classes for the day."

Sitting at his wide desk and taking out quill and parchment, Dumbledore wrote a quick note than handed it to Fawks. "Please give that to Professor Snape," Dumbledore said, chuckling as Fawks immediately vanished. A scant few seconds later, Fawks returned, his beak empty.

"I expect Severus will be here shortly with his ward in tow. Would you care for refreshment Harry?" Dumbledore finished.

"No, thank you Sir," Harry replied. I need to get to the Hogsmeade floo station by 3 to meet Agent Nelson from the AIA and escort him to the castle. I just wanted to check on Severus and Katherine and make sure everything was ready before heading over."

"The Room of Requirement has been prepared and should meet our needs for today. Do you expect any surprises from Agent Nelson?"

"I don't believe so. While he accepted the invitation for this meeting, he didn't indicate any issues that would lead me to believe he had some other plans. Still, I am prepared for any one of several contingencies should he bring up requests or orders for action. The only sticking point we may have is the issue of Katherine's custody. She is an American citizen and by law would fall under their jurisdiction, however, she is also an emancipated minor which would allow her to move about on her own, at least on American soil. I went through the American laws and couldn't find anything that would negate her emancipation if she chose to become a ward of someone else. Since British law doesn't recognize minor emancipation, that is a moot point, however, technically she IS here illegally as she has a falsified passport and student visa, by muggle law standards anyway. "

Harry was interrupted by a knock on the door. Glancing at the clock, Dumbledore walked over to the door, opening it to find Severus and Katherine. His auror training automatically kicking in, Harry observed the pair. Severus looked the same as he always did; serious but amiable, 'or as amiable as Severus can be anyway', Harry thought wryly. Katherine looked nervous but readily returned Dumbledore's greeting, her voice steady.

Severus was the first to notice that Harry was in the room and greeted him.

"Potter," Severus greeted simply.

"Professor Snape," Harry returned the same way, giving a mischievous smile and chuckling slightly at the glare he got in return.

"Hello Katherine," Harry said, his voice gentle as he greeted the quiet girl that had stepped up beside Severus. "How are you holding up?"

Katherine shrugged slightly even as she smiled a little. "About as well as I can Auror Potter," she responded politely. "I can't exactly say, however, that I am looking forward to this meeting today. I know the Directorate and have met some of the absolute incompetents that make up the workforce. I don't trust any of them."

Harry smiled. "I don't expect any issues and we have enough safety measure in place that no matter what their demands, you are safe here. There is no guarantee that you won't eventually have to go back to the US, but if that does occur you won't go alone."

Harry glanced at his watch. "I need to get to the floo station to meet Agent Nelson and escort him back here. I'll meet you in the Room of Requirement," Harry said to the assembled group. "Of course Harry," Dumbledore smiled as Harry turned to go back out the door. "We'll have the door open for you."

_Hogsmeade Floo Station: 2:55_

Harry grimaced as he entered the station and checked the floo schedule. The Hogsmeade was considered small as compared to other floo stations but the two floos were strictly scheduled to avoid potential collisions of travelers. Harry noted that Agent Nelson was delayed for about 20 minutes. While Harry groused under his breath at the delay, the station keeper explained. "Backup in London. They are three floos down and had to do some major re-arranging. Be glad it is only 20 minutes. I've heard several travelers are over three hours delayed."

Sending a quick patronus to Dumbledore to inform him of the delay, Harry sat in one of the hard chairs that lined one wall and settled himself to wait.

At 3:25, the floo directly in front of Harry flamed. Glancing up from the magazine he had been perusing, he saw a tall man with shoulder length, coal black hair, step gracefully out of the fireplace and glancing around idly, walked over to the station keeper's counter. Having spotted the AIA logo embroidered on the man's robe, Harry stood up and followed the man, catching up with him just as he reached the counter. The man had to be at least 6'5, Harry guessed, the top of his head coming just a little above the man's shoulder.

"Agent Nelson?" he inquired.

The man turned. "I am he," the man said, glancing at the auror logo on Harry's robe. "You must be Auror Potter," he said, holding out his hand.

Harry shook the man's hand and then gestured towards the door. "The castle is only a short distance from Hogsmeade," Harry explained. "There are anti-apparition wards set-up so it is easier and usually faster to just walk rather than try and find transportation."

"No problem," Agent Nelson returned. "I don't mind the walk."

How was the trip?" Harry asked with a wry grin as they began the walk to the castle. "I have always hated international travel."

The man shrugged almost nonchalantly. "I've had worse," he said. "I have to admit that this is my first trip to the UK. My normal international runs in the past have been to the Asian continent or Australia. Now they know how to use the floo in first class style," he said with a chuckle.

Talking congenially to each other, the walk went quickly. Agent Nelson was taller than Severus but at least knew how to adjust his stride to someone shorter. For once, Harry was able to keep up easily though he suspected that Severus deliberately kept his stride long whenever he and Harry happened to be walking together.

It wasn't long before the castle gates came into view. While Harry was used to the picture the castle presented, it often surprised newcomers who were seeing it for the first time.

Agent Nelson gave a low whistle. "This place is incredible," he said, his eyes trying to take in everything at once. How old is the castle; the architecture is beautiful."

"The best estimate on age is about 1200 years. The founders located the castle a little over a thousand years ago but further history shows the castle was already built before they found it. No one has thought to have the stones actually tested for a better date; doesn't seem important at this point," Harry said, as he walked up to the gate. Giving the latch a tap, Harry gave the non-verbal password and stepped back as the gate opened.

"Non-verbal password and I take it protective wards?" Agent Nelson inquired.

"The castle has her own brand of magic and can actually protect herself if need be without action from the inhabitants. Since the castle houses upwards of 300 students and staff for 10 months out of the year, additional protective wards have been set to maintain security. She is one of the oldest and most secure castles on the planet," Harry said proudly as he opened the main castle doors, allowing Agent Nelson to pass through first.

Since classes were in session, there was no one in the corridors on the way to the Room of Requirement. The portraits, always nosey, whispered amongst themselves at the sight of the stranger but were ignored by the two men making their way up and down the several staircases that led to the Room of Requirement. Finally arriving at their destination, Harry spotted Dumbledore standing at the open door, waiting for them.

"Headmaster Dumbledore," Harry greeted him formally, "May I present Agent Benjamin Nelson of the American Intelligence Agency representing the interests of the American Directorate of Magic. Agent Nelson, this is Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"Welcome, Welcome," Dumbledore greeted enthusiastically, shaking the Agent's hand, the ever present twinkle present in his blue eyes.

"Headmaster," Agent Nelson responded politely. "May I extend our thanks for your hospitality."

"Glad to help," Dumbledore returned, smile still in place. "Shall we go in?" he said, as he waved both Harry and Agent Nelson through the door before stepping through himself and gently closing the door. The door immediately melted back into the wall, leaving the wall smooth, broken only by a couple of wall sconces that now flamed brightly, adding to the general light in the room.

Harry immediately spotted Severus and Katherine on the other side of the room, seated on a couch covered in a beige suede. Katherine was sitting quietly next to Severus as he spoke with Minerva. Katherine seemed a little nervous, which made sense, but the fear he had seen before was missing.

Severus was the first to spot the trio and broke off his conversation mid-sentence, stood, and walked over. Minerva, startled at Severus' impromptu departure, turned to see what had caught his attention. Katherine, she noted, was watching her guardian, but otherwise didn't move from where she was sitting. Minerva stood up and placed a hand on Katherine's shoulder for a moment before making her way over to the group of men.

After introductions, Severus gestured to Katherine for her to join them. They had moved further into the room and were now standing next to a chair that was sitting on its own in the center of the room. As Katherine approached, the chair, a simple wood chair, changed into a plush and comfortable armchair. Snorting, Severus gestured for Katherine to sit down. Glancing up, Katherine saw a mischievous smile on Dumbledore's face. "No reason not to be comfortable," he said. Katherine smiled briefly in thanks and sat down. The rest of the group took their places at two tables that were placed at angles to the chair in which Katherine sat; Harry and Agent Nelson to her left and Severus, Dumbledore and Minerva to her right.

Harry stood up and made his way over to Katherine, speaking to everyone.

"As we previously discussed, Agent Nelson from the AIA has accepted the chance to attend this preliminary hearing into the events leading to the charges against Ms Marks. " He turned his attention fully to Katherine, his tone kind.

"This is not a trial but only a chance to understand the circumstances that led to the charges and to examine and clarify any information or questions in regards to the statement you provided us. Do you understand this?" Harry asked her.

"Yes, Sir," she said quietly but clearly, her eyes firmly fixed on the auror emblem resting just below the left shoulder of Harry's robe.

Giving her an encouraging smile, he turned back and addressed Agent Nelson.

"Agent Nelson, is there anything you wish to add?"

Agent Nelson nodded silently and stood up, walking over to take Harry's place. He too gave Katherine a gentle smile before he started.

"As Auror Potter stated, I and the Directorate understand that this is only a preliminary meeting. These types of meetings are not an unusual practice in the US and often do much to aid ongoing investigations. Ms Marks' case is still under investigation and the only reason it has not as yet been completed is because it spans both the magic and muggle communities. In order to continue to protect the magical community, we have to be very careful when interacting with the muggle authorities," he stopped for a moment and gave an almost apologetic grimace. "The Director, however, concerned for the ongoing cooperation between the magical and muggle communities, wants nothing less than a full trial no matter what information we may gather here today. In addition, even if cleared with the magical community first, there is no guarantee that the Director would not turn Ms Marks over to the muggle authorities to face a trial there as well," he finished, grimacing again at the now pale faced Katherine. "That hasn't been completely decided as yet but it would be the usual practice."

Harry stoiod back up and walked over to Agent Nelson and Katherine. Addressing Katherine, he asked "are you ready?"

Katherine gave a half nod, her face still pale but otherwise composed. Severus stood up and removed a vial of clear liquid from his pocket; the Veritaserum. Walking over, he handed the vial to Harry who in turn handed it to Agent Nelson. Harry had already told Agent Nelson about Severus and his qualifications as a potions master. Popping the small cork, Agent Nelson sniffed the potion and then turning back to the table where he had laid his briefcase, he set the vial down for second as he opened up his briefcase and took out a small black case. Opening it, he took out a normal scientific glass slide, a small eye dropper and a tube filled with a blue liquid. Picking up the vial of Veritaserum again, he dipped the eye dropper inside and took up a little of the serum, then transferred the contents to the glass slide. He then picked up the tube, flipping open the cap and placing three drops of the liquid onto the serum on the slide. The effect was immediate; the liquid on the slide turning a bright yellow. Nodding in satisfaction, Agent Nelson explained.

"We ran into some issues not too long ago with Veritaserum. We were having problems trying to get properly brewed serum and one of the healers developed a test to help us determine if any serum we were using was properly brewed according to normal standards. The yellow color has a different hue depending on the level of purity of the serum. This bright color indicates a purity level I don't think I have ever seen before," he smiled with a respectful nod to Severus.

He handed the vial back to Harry who in turn, handed the vial back to Severus.

"If you would Professor," Harry said, gesturing to Katherine.

Nodding, Severus stepped over to Katherine. He had spoken about this to her the night before, telling her the process of how the serum would be administered and what would happen afterwards. Katherine tilted her head up and opened her mouth, allowing Severus to place three even drops of the serum on her tongue. He re-corked the vial and stepped back, his eyes on his ward. It didn't take long and Katherine's eyes glazed slightly. Looking at Harry and Agent Nelson, Severus nodded, letting them know she was ready. Agent Nelson went back to his seat and Severus sat down as well as Harry started speaking.

Harry glanced at Katherine for a moment, seeming to be trying to make up his mind about something. Finally, a short wave of his hand had his chair coming over to him. Harry picked it up and placed it near Katherine, making sure that he was not blocking anyone else's view. Even though the serum effectively relaxed the person being questioned, Harry didn't want to intimidate Katherine.

"Katherine," Harry said gently, watching her as she turned her attention to him. "I am going to ask you a question and I want you to lie to me. How old are you?"

"Si-Si-Fourteen," she said.

Satisfied that the serum was working properly, Harry glanced at Agent Nelson who nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"OK Katherine," Harry started again. "Now you need to tell me the truth. For the official record of this meeting, I need you to tell me your full name, date of birth and current place of residence."

"Katherine Elizabeth Marks, date of birth December 22, 1991. I currently live at Hogwarts school in Scotland."

"Very good," Harry said, keeping his eyes on her face.

"Now, I want you to go back to the day you met Master Giovanni Marconi. Can you tell us what happened?"

"I was walking home from school; it was cold out and windy. It had snowed the night before and even though we had school, the sidewalk was slippery. I slipped on a patch of ice in front of the house and one of the books I was carrying started to fall, only, it didn't fall; it sort of hung in the air. I tried to get it to go down or at least to come back into my arms but I couldn't get it to. I was about to call mom when this old man walked up. He took out a funny stick of something and waved it and the book landed back in my arms. I asked him how he did that. He waved the stick again and I was warm and the wind wasn't blowing near me anymore. He told me that what I had done was accidental magic and explained that I was a witch. I sort of believed him I guess; it wasn't the first6 time funny things had happened and his explanation certainly made better sense. I don't know why but I felt I could trust him. I took his hand and led him to the house; I wanted him to tell mom and daddy; I thought they would be really happy," she finished quietly, looking down at her hands; "they weren't," she whispered sadly.

"What happened Katherine?"

"Master Marconi introduced himself to me and mom and daddy. He explained things but mom and daddy didn't believe him at first. They started yelling at him to get out and to stay away from me or they would call the police. I guess he decided he needed to _show_ them so he levitated a vase that was on the table. It caught mom and daddy's attention but not in a good way. They got very quiet and looked, I don't know, scared or uncomfortable. They didn't just look at Master Marconi like that but me as well. I tried to tell them it was OK but they wouldn't listen. Daddy just told Master Marconi to take me and get out, that I wasn't his daughter anymore. Master Marconi tried to reason with him but he wouldn't listen. Mom didn't say anything either even though I begged them to listen. Finally, Master Marconi took my hand and we just…left," Katherine finished, tears now running down her face. "Master Marconi went back a week or so later to try and talk to them but they threatened him again. Mom gave him a box with some of my clothes and books and toys and stuff and told him to get out."

Harry conjured a soft handkerchief and gave it to Katherine waiting while she wiped her eyes and composed herself again.

"Did you or Master Marconi threaten your parents in any way before you left?"

"No," Katherine said miserably.

"Where did Master Marconi take you? Where did you live?"

"Master Marconi had a cabin a few miles outside of town. It was small but comfortable enough. He had a small greenhouse in the back where he kept a lot of his plants and herbs. He was very fond of his herbs; used them a lot in his cooking. He said nothing was better in a recipe than using absolutely fresh herbs."

"What was it like living with him? Was he good to you?"

"He was a kind man but could also be strict and a real grump at times. He used to tell me it was his Italian heritage mixed with his old brain."

Those listening chuckled a bit.

"He helped me through those first few days. Made sure I was comfortable in the cabin and that I ate and slept enough. I guess he tried to distract me a bit by giving me work to do, reading and math and stuff. When he brought back the box mom gave him, all my schoolbooks were inside. Her note said she had told the school they had decided to send me to a private school near relatives in California to explain my absence. Master Marconi had some trouble as he didn't understand the math part, but otherwise, he made me keep up with lessons. Every other day or so, instead of my regular schoolbooks, he'd explain magic to me and teach me things. His wand liked me, or so he said, and I was able to spellcast easily. He taught me potions and once Spring came he took me out into the forest and showed me the different plants and taught me about them. He was always willing to answer questions and never yelled at me if I asked something really stupid. He didn't set a lot of rules but the ones he set were absolute. If I broke one I got punished but he wasn't mean about it."

"You said you were an emancipated minor. How did that come about," Harry asked.

"Master Marconi helped with that or it never would have happened. By law, a minor could only file for emancipation once they turned 16. Anyone younger than that had to have a guardian or be in custody of the state. I didn't realize it then but now that I know, he must have done some serious obliviating on people to get them to sign things and put things through even though I was only 12. My parents helped a lot as well, probably not willingly, but, they never fought the request as they had to sign their agreement and they did give me the money that was in my trust account that my grandparents had set up for each of us, my sister, brother and I. Master Marconi and I went to court a few times but just after I turned 13 the papers approving my emancipation came through. In the eyes of the state, I was an independent adult. Master Marconi explained to me that emancipation wouldn't be recognized in the magic community but that I was free to stay with him for as long as I wanted."

"What happened the day of the fire at the cabin, the day Master Marconi died?"

Katherine hesitated, her voice thick with new tears as she began.

"I had gotten in trouble the night before. Master Marconi was a fanatic about curfew and I had come in about 20 minutes late. Normally, he just would have scolded and sent me to bed, but, I started arguing with him, calling it a stupid rule, that 20 minutes wasn't all that much. Master Marconi didn't like to be argued with when it came to the rules and I ended up going to bed after a hard spanking. I woke up early and didn't want to see him so I picked up the bag I normally used for gathering plants and went out to replenish some of the potions supplies," here Katherine stopped, new tears making their way down her pale cheeks. Harry patted her hand and urged gently, "go on," he said.

"I came back about an hour or so later ready to have it out with him again. I wasn't…angry," she said, "just determined to get him to change that stupid rule. I had gone a little further than I meant to and about halfway back, I smelled smoke. While that in itself wasn't unusual given the time and knowing it was time for breakfast, I didn't think much of it but just kept walking. When I got to within eyesight of the cabin, I saw that it was fully in flames. I dropped the bag of plants and ran as close as I could get, screaming for Master Marconi. I had taken his wand with me that morning and I tried to use a water dousing spell on the flames but they didn't reach. They kept dissipating against what looked like a glass wall. I tried every spell I could think of but no-nothing worked," she stuttered, tears now falling freely. "The heat was s-so bad. I b-backed away and just w-watched until the cabin c-completely collapsed and the flames f-finally went out. I d-d-didn't move, couldn't move."

"Katherine," Harry said gently, "I know this is hard but I need you to think. Were you angry enough at Master Marconi that you wanted to harm him?"

"Noooooooooooo!" she said emphatically. "I wasn't any more upset with him that I ever was when I got punished. I didn't do anything to hurt him."

"Shhhhhhhh," Harry soothed, taking her hands in his and holding them gently. "It's OK."

Harry caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Severus walking over. As soon as Severus reached them, Harry released Katherine's hands and stood up, letting Severus take over. Severus knelt down, taking Katherine's hands in his as he started to talk to her gently. After a few moments, he put his arms around her, letting her cry into his shoulder as he stroked her back and continued talking to her. Harry walked back over to Agent Nelson.

"I think we need to take a break," he said, glancing over at Katherine and Severus.

"Agreed," Agent Nelson said. "This is more information than we found in the investigation. Poor kid has been through it I'd say. It's amazing she was able to do what she did after all that. I don't like doing this anymore than you do," he said to Harry as he looked at him, "we can take as long as we need to with this."

"Can you stay overnight? It might be better to finish this tomorrow" Harry asked.

"No problem," Agent Nelson agreed.

Harry nodded and walked back over to Severus. Putting his hand on the man's shoulder, he spoke quietly to him. At Severus' nod of acknowledgment, Harry patted Katherine's shaking shoulders for a moment before going over to speak with Dumbledore and McGonagall.


	28. Revelations Part II

Chapter 28: Revelations Part II

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_Hogwarts: Wednesday noon_

Harry was the first to arrive back at the Room of Requirement in order to set up for what he hoped would be the last day of what was proving to be a highly difficult and emotional hearing. After Katherine's initial breakdown following her testimony about Master Marconi, Harry and Agent Nelson had agreed to stop the session for the night. Katherine had calmed a bit but was still pale and shaking. Severus had administered the serum antidote once allowed by Harry and Agent Nelson and had not wasted time taking his ward out of the room and presumably, back to their quarters. After making arrangements with Dumbledore for Agent Nelson's stay, he and Harry had talked for a while longer in the room after everyone had left. After turning down the evening meal with Dumbledore and McGonagall, Dumbledore had told Harry he was free to ask for supper at any time; the Hogwarts house elves were always happy to accommodate.

As Harry and Agent Nelson ate a standard Hogwart's repast, they spoke about the testimony already given. Even with the testimony, Agent Nelson still did not say anything positive about the chances that this testimony would clear Katherine of the charges. Still, what Agent Nelson had said wasn't as important as what he HADN'T said. Harry was certain there was more behind Agent Nelson's words.

"The Director has really taken an interest in this case, we don't know why. The only thing my supervisor and I can think of is that if the story behind gaining the director's reference is true, he may simply want to make sure Ms Marks is charged appropriately."

Harry had to chuckle internally at the way Katherine had referred to the director in her statement. The term _incompetent_ _idiot_ was what he had read more than a few times. What he was also hearing from Agent Nelson, just as clearly as if the man had said the words out loud, was that the Director was looking for revenge. He knew from Severus that he and Director Michaels, then just co-students at the academy, hadn't gotten on very well. Severus had described the American Texan as brash and loud with a habit of gathering people around him who could be influential or important. Harry at once thought of Horace Slughorn and the famous _Slug Club_ that had been the bane of his existence in his 6th year.

Harry waved his wand and a large box of tissues appeared on a small side table next to the chair Katherine had been sitting in yesterday. If her testimony about Master Marconi was any indication, this one today, dealing with her parents and siblings deaths, plus her amazing actions to get into the academy, was going to bring out even a more emotional outburst. Harry had spoken with Severus briefly this morning and both had agreed to finish the testimony today. Apparently, Katherine had taken a long time to recover the night before, forcing Severus to give her a calming draught plus a dreamless sleep potion in order to get her to first eat and then rest. Harry has purposely set today's meeting much earlier in the day in order to make sure everyone had a decent lunch before they started. Harry had gotten the house elves to stock the room with drinks in preparation for the long afternoon. Good or bad, the story would be completed tonight and they could move forward.

Agent Nelson walked in, escorted by Dumbledore and followed by Minerva, Severus and Katherine. Professor Binns had been recruited to proctor Severus' afternoon classes as no brewing would be taking place; Severus had scheduled a day of exams for his classes. Severus wasn't completely happy at the change; he would have preferred a live teacher, however, even Binns couldn't have a problem with simply keeping an eye out during a test. Minerva only had NEWT classes on Wednesday afternoons and she trusted them with the assignment she had set for the day.

Severus had a supporting hand on Katherine's back. Harry inwardly winced at Katherine's face. She was very pale and was nervously wringing her hands in the folds of her uniform skirt. She looked up at Severus when he said something, nodding slightly before dropping her eyes again. Severus escorted her over to the same chair in which she had been seated yesterday, conjured a glass of water and set it on the side table next to the box of tissues, and then giving Katherine's shoulder an encouraging squeeze, walked back over to his place at the table.

Once everyone had taken their seats, both Agent Nelson and Harry walked up to Katherine. Harry began.

"Ready to finish up?" he asked her gently. "Yes Sir," she whispered quietly, not looking at him.

"Katherine," Harry said gently, putting a finger under her chin so she was forced to make eye contact for a minute, "it'll be OK. There isn't a person here who doesn't want to help you through this. I know recounting these memories isn't easy but we'll take it slow and take breaks if necessary," he finished, releasing her chin and smiling at her. "Besides, if we don't get this done today, Snape will go into withdrawal from not being able to terrorize his students," Harry teased, chuckling at the low growl he heard coming from Severus; Katherine smiled back slightly before dropping her eyes again. When Harry finished, Agent Nelson addressed Katherine.

"Ms Marks, may I call you Katherine?" he asked. Katherine just nodded.

"Your remarks are very important and I am very interested in hearing your side of things. You are doing very well with all this and anything you can do to add information is most deeply appreciated. I know this isn't easy but anything you can remember, anything you can add, is critical. I may not be able to promise that a full trial won't be ordered, but, I can give you my absolute promise that we will investigate every bit of information we get," he finished firmly. Again, Katherine just nodded. Agent Nelson gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before going back to his place at the table. Severus walked over as Agent Nelson took out his test kit, accepting the vial of Veritaserum Severus handed him. After a confirming test, Agent Nelson handed the vial back to Severus and nodded; it was time to get started.

Walking back over to Katherine, Severus administered the three necessary drops to Katherine's tongue and allowed her to chase the taste with a sip of water. He nodded at her in approval before making his way back to the table and taking his seat.

After a few minutes, Harry made his way over to Katherine who was sitting in the chair with her head back and eyes closed.

"Katherine," Harry said firmly, trying to gain her attention. He waited as she slowly opened her eyes and sat up a bit. Glancing into her eyes, Harry could see the glazed look that was common with the use of the serum.

"OK Katherine," Harry said gently, "I need you to lie to me again. What month is it?"

"D-De-September," she said.

"Good, very good," Harry praised softly. "OK, back to the truth now," Harry said, as he glanced over at Agent Nelson and spotted the man starting to jot down notes.

"You said in your statement that you had gone to your parents' house and had a fight with your parents. What happened?"

"It was Christopher's birthday; he was turning 8. He was nuts about trains and I had bought him a new car to add to his collection. Master Marconi had been gone about a month at that point and I was living in an abandoned cabin deeper in the woods near where Master Marconi and I had lived; I was still trying to get up the nerve to go ahead with what I wanted to do regarding the academy. I managed to get into town and to my parents' house without any problems. I had intended just to ask my parents to see Christopher so I could give him the gift and then planned on leaving; I wasn't looking for trouble. I knocked on the door, maybe I should have just walked in. Mom answered and I could see other kids on the house and party stuff up. She smiled at first like she was glad to see me and then daddy came to the door. He told me to go away that I wasn't to come there again. I tried to explain about the gift but he didn't care; he told me to leave and not to bother them anymore. I lost my temper. I was upset but mad as well. All I wanted was to see my little brother," the tears that had been standing in her eyes made their way down her cheeks. "There were several neighbors were walking in the vicinity of the house and heard us fighting. Daddy yelled something about needing to keep Sienna and Christopher safe from me and out of danger; that he wouldn't lose his children to my evilness," Katherine said dully. "When daddy finally stopped yelling and just slammed the door in my face, I left the package on the front step and then walked backed to the cabin."

"When did you hear about the fire?" Harry asked.

"The next afternoon," Katherine answered promptly. "I went back into town to pick up some things, food and other stuff. The news was all over the front page of the paper. I picked up a copy and read the story. Apparently, it wasn't but a few hours after I left that the fire broke out. According to the preliminary investigation results, the doors were all locked from the inside like no one had tried to get out. Interviews with a few of the firefighters said it was strange that even though the water seemed to be reaching the flames, it had no effect. They said they tried everything but couldn't reach the house; all they could do was let it burn and hope it didn't spread to the nearby houses. That is also when I found out that the police were looking for me. They had managed to make the determination that there was a family member missing in the house and apparently, those same neighbors that had heard the fight I had with daddy told the police about what they had heard. I never made any threats but the innuendos that daddy had made were enough, I guess, to convince the police that maybe I had started the fire. I got back to the cabin and started making plans to get to the academy. I knew I had to disappear completely and quickly or risk being accused of something I didn't do. I had already managed to get a passport in my sister's name so I packed and got on a plane to Germany. I got through security by _confunding_ the agents and air crew so there was no muggle record of a Sienna Marks leaving the country."

Agent Nelson stood at this point and walked over. "Auror Potter if I may?" he asked. Harry nodded.

"Katherine," Agent Nelson started. "I need you to think back a bit, to the time during the argument with your father. You said there were several witnesses who described the argument. Did you see any of them? "

Katherine thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "I remember Mrs Hanson, old bitty, she and I had never gotten along ever since I accidently stepped on her begonias that were planted next to the sidewalk; didn't do it on purpose, I tripped but you couldn't tell HER that," Katherine groused, Harry, Dumbledore and Minerva doing their best to hide their chuckles. "Mr Adams and his wife, the Simmons' twins. The Lauret kids were wrestling each other and then there was Timothy McGruder walking down the street. I remember seeing a man behind him, one I didn't recognize, but, I hadn't been at the house for a year. Anyone could have moved into the neighborhood in that time. I remember thinking at the time that if he had been any closer behind Timothy he would have been able to trip him, but Timothy didn't seem to notice how close he was."

"Can you describe him?"

"I didn't study him that much," Katherine said with a note of exasperation. "He was tall, dark hair. He was wearing all black which I thought was strange since it was hotter than hell that day. He was walking with a black cane; it looked like wood. I do remember that it looked like no one was paying any attention to him."

"Anyone else?" Agent Nelson pressed.

Katherine thought again and then shook her head, "no," she answered.

"OK, good," Agent Nelson said, moving away allowing Harry to retake his place.

"OK Katherine," Harry said. "Now I want you to tell us about how your actions to get to the academy."

"It was actually pretty easy," she started, getting a snort in response from Severus but other than a quick look of mischief at Severus, she didn't otherwise acknowledge the sound.

"I had rented a post office box at the post office so I wrote to the academy and requested an application and received it about a week later. The application was straightforward enough with information, however, I had to get three reference letters from Masters in the area I wanted to study and the academy also needed to know the extent of magical education I had already received. Master Marconi had done a decent job, I guess, in the area of magical education but as there was never a formal declaration of Master and Apprentice, I knew it might be difficult to convince the academy board of my abilities. Master Marconi had maintained a safe area of sorts in the greenhouse where he liked to keep things. The greenhouse was spared from the fire so I did some digging and found several hand-written papers. Using my sister's name, I wrote out a reference letter and a letter of introduction from Master Marconi that detailed out what I had studied and my level of proficiency. I had found a spell that allowed the person to successfully forge a signature or other written information by using what was previously written. When I had the letters completed, I used the spell and Master Marconi's wand to alter the writing so it looked like his handwriting. I knew there were no guarantees it would be accepted at face value but since Master Marconi had graduated from that particular academy, I could only hope it would be accepted without anyone trying to actually check with Master Marconi." Katherine finished with a shrug.

"What happened next?" Harry asked.

"I had to come up with two more letters of reference. Seeing as Master Marconi and the Director were the only two potions masters I knew about, I decided to use the Director as one of the references. I was emancipated under muggle law but knew it wasn't accepted in the magical community. I had to try and convince the Director that I was under a magical custody of some sort or everything I was planning would be moot. I sent a letter to the Director requesting an audience in order to discuss my situation. I didn't know if anyone in the magical community actually knew of Master Marconi's death so I decided I would take the letter of introduction to the Director; it would be the first true test of that forgery spell. If the Director wanted to speak with Master Marconi, I had planned on a cover story that Master Marconi was in Europe visiting family.

I know I got lucky. The Director is an obnoxious idiot at best, and he immediately started to question me about the letter, about why I had been apprenticed without Directorate knowledge, permission or approval. The fire that killed my family hadn't occurred as yet so that wasn't an issue, but, he was ready to call in some people who handled orphans or otherwise under aged magical kids in order to have me detained as an under aged magical minor. I simply, uhm, reacted, using _Imperio_ to keep him from calling anyone. I had him write the letter of reference while I was there and once he was done and I was satisfied with the contents, I obliviated him and planted a counter memory where he would only remember a normal conversation and concern for my well being with him setting me up in a magical foster home. I also planted the idea that there was no need to check on me as the correct Directorate office would do that and reporting back to him on my status was unnecessary.

When I left his office, he was doing paperwork, looking like he had forgotten I was there at all. His guard was down the hall a way and spotted me as I came out of the office. I just waved at him, said thanks and walked to the lifts. The guard just smiled, waved back and turned back around and walked down the hall without checking on Director Michaels, at least not while I was still there."

"You indicated in your statement that you were applying as your sister, under her name. Did you disguise yourself when you went to see Director Michaels?" Harry asked.

Katherine shook her head. "I had to have a reason to see him and being under aged and orphaned, so to speak, was the only way. When he wrote the letter, I made sure to have him write down Sienna's name rather than my own. I guess since the fire the orphan part of it became true anyway," Katherine said bitterly.

"What about the third reference?" Harry asked.

"Master Marconi had submitted a paper for the Potions Masters Conference that was, luckily for me, to be held in the US that year, in Indiana. Using the letter of introduction from Master Marconi, I was able to get to the conference as a potions apprentice. The conference committee was always eager for the help the apprentices could give during the conference, you know, running memos and such, and didn't question my request. I used the same cover story I had used with the Director, that Master Marconi had encouraged me to attend the conference even though he had to return to Italy for a short time to visit family. When I got to the conference, I scouted around a bit, locating the potions masters that had submitted papers and had actually shown up. I was also looking for anyone who may have attended that same academy.

Master Marconi had told me about the potions masters out there, the better ones anyway, and he had specifically mentioned Master Snape and his prowess and dedication to potions and his reputation as one of the best students to ever go through the academy. I located the paper he had submitted and removed it, then wrote, and had delivered, a note like it was from the conference committee, telling him about the loss of the paper. I had a feeling Master Snape would resubmit the paper in any way he could and was glad to see I was right and he resubmitted the paper in writing. At the end of the conference, since all papers submitted become the property of the Potions Society, I took his written copy and substituted back the printed copy he had originally submitted. I created the last reference letter in the same manner as the others and submitted everything with the application a few days after the conference ended."

"Was there any indication that anyone was aware of Master Marconi's death?" Harry asked.

Katherine just shrugged. "I wasn't aware if they did. He had always told me that he had stepped away from the mainstream magical community, that he liked being out on his own. I guess he lost contact with people and when he died, he wasn't really, missed, other than by me," she said quietly. "I guess in a way, his lack of acquaintances made it easier for me to pull things off. If people had known he was dead, there would have been a lot more suspicion of my activities."

"How long was it before you got the letter that gave you approval to test?" Harry asked.

"Two weeks or so. I was making plans to fly out when the fire occurred. Once I found out, and knowing the Directorate would probably be notified, I packed and took the first available flight out of the country; I manipulatedthe airline computer system and _confounded _the airline personnel so that there was no record of Sienna Marks having been on any outbound flight. I knew the Director had the planted memory of me meeting with him and I knew he would contact the orphan office people to find out where I was in order to ascertain if I was involved in the fire. Without a tangible record of any departure, I was hoping the Directorate would think I had simply disappeared. The only reason I got found out at the academy was because I got sick and missed taking the next Polyjuice tablet. I doubt anyone would have figured things out if it weren't for that," she said belligerently.

"Katherine," Severus said sharply. Katherine looked at him, noticing the stern, warning look. She didn't say anything, just grimaced as she returned her attention to Harry.

"I know you told us what happened but for Agent Nelson's knowledge, what happened at the academy, after you changed back to yourself?" Harry asked.

Katherine grimaced and squirmed a bit, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of relating those events.

"Headmaster Troyan obviously notified Professor Snape of things. I was given a choice between permanent expulsion from European schools or accepting consequences from Headmaster Troyan and being apprenticed and warded to a Master of his choice, Professor Snape in this case." Katherine shrugged dismissively. "I didn't see much of an option. I knew I was alone; I had nowhere to go and no way to get back home. I figured, at the time anyway, I could accept the apprenticeship and protection as a ward until I could find a way to get away," she looked at Severus for a moment. "That changed once I got here; I don't want to leave anymore."

Harry looked over at Agent Nelson. "Is there anything else you need?" Harry asked him.

Agent Nelson just shook his head. "I don't think there is anything Ms Marks can add. There are some issues that may come into question however, not the least of which is the fact that Ms Marks is an American and by American wizard law, cannot be warded to a foreign guardian without the approval of the Directorate. In addition, any apprenticeships, outside of an academic institution, are required to be approved by the Directorate. Even your British wizarding laws say the same thing."

"Unless anyone has anything else, I think we are done here," Harry said.

Harry returned his attention to Katherine and gave her a gentle smile. "You OK?" he asked, stepping to the side a little as Severus came up to them with the Veritaserum antidote.

Katherine answered after Severus gave her the antidote. "What is going to happen now?"

Harry made as though to answer when Agent Nelson spoke up, having overheard Katherine's question.

"First, I can't make any guarantees that this information will be enough to drop the charges. Even if the charges were to be dropped, there is still the issue of your apprenticeship and guardianship, not to mention the act of obliviating the Director and taking other actions to falsify records. I am going to make the recommendation that you be allowed to remain here in the custody of Master Snape as long as the tracking bracelet continues to be worn. It is easier to leave you here than to try and find a place for you since the Directorate does not have detention facilities for under aged witches or wizards. Given the depth of the case and the severity of the charges, I doubt highly the Director would want you to be detained in a muggle juvenile facility. All I can do is present this information and then get back to you," he finished. "The Directorate request for extradition will not be long in coming once the investigation of everything is complete; that I can almost guarantee. The muggle case could take even longer but that is being considered separately. "

"In other words," Katherine said bitterly with some heat, "we wait; again."

Severus put his hand on her shoulder.

"We will await your word Agent Nelson and we appreciate your taking the time to have this meeting," he said with a meaningful glance at Katherine and a light squeeze of the hand that was resting on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Katherine muttered quietly, "thanks."

"I'll do what I can," Agent Nelson promised.

"If you will excuse us, I have some detentions to attend to." Severus said.

"Of course, good evening Professor," Agent Nelson returned.

After Dumbledore and Minerva had expressed their thanks for Agent Nelson's presence, they took their leave which left Harry to escort Agent Nelson back to Hogsmeade. When they got to the floo station, Agent Nelson spoke.

"I will present this material as soon as I can," he promised," and will send word as soon as I hear anything. Since I don't know the full status on the investigation, I can't give you a timeframe as to when the request for extradition might come through. Making the assumption that this testimony is not enough to drop the charges, the trial will be ready to commence only a week after the extradition request is sent so it is imperative that the British ministry not delay in honoring that request. Argument about the extradition could very well be misconstrued as an attempt to delay the trial and will certainly undermine your position."

Harry nodded. "Now that this testimony is done, and unless the Directorate disagrees with your recommendation for Katherine to remain here until the trial, I don't see an issue with the eventual extradition. I would appreciate it if you could send me any information on the investigation and everything found to date. Going on what you are saying, I need to get started lining up any witnesses we might need; might save time later."

"I'll be in touch," Agent Nelson said as he stepped into the floo.

Severus and Katherine entered Severus' quarters. Katherine knew Severus wasn't entirely pleased with her attitude towards Agent Nelson and the overall testimony meeting, but, unless he brought it up, she sure wouldn't.

"It is an hour before supper yet," Severus said, watching Katherine. "I have the fourth and fifth year exams to grade but if you have time, I have some first year essays that need grading as well."

"Sure, no problem," Katherine said a little dully as she looked at Severus.

"I have a few detentions to oversee tonight as well," Severus said. "If you wish, you may start the base for the Wolfsbane. The boys are going to be cleaning out the student cupboards tonight so they won't be in your way."

"Once I get the essays done I'll go to the lab and get started."

"Katherine," Severus said, putting his hand on her shoulder causing her to look up at him. "I know things are difficult right now and you have a lot going on in your mind. All I can say is that I am here if you need to talk and I will do everything I can to help you through this. Try and relax a bit and do not continue to dwell on this so much. Things will happen in their own time and we can deal with anything that comes up at that time."

Katherine just nodded and walked down the short hall to her room.

"Carly," Severus called.

"Yes Master Snape?" the little house elf greeted.

"If Katherine does not go to the Great Hall for supper, please make sure she gets something to eat. I would make it something relatively light."

"Oh of course Master Snape," Carly said with a smile. "And what can Carly get for you Master Snape?"

"I will have supper in the Great Hall Carly thank you."

Carly gave a simple bow as she popped out of sight.

Severus made his way to the door connecting his quarters to his office and walking through, noted the stack of parchment rolls on the corner of his desk; the exams. He chuckled when he saw the glass of wine that sat in the center of the desk; Carly's handiwork; she knew him well. He found the first year essays and with a quick wave of his wand, sent them to the sitting area for Katherine.

Sitting down, he sipped the wine for a moment, thinking about Katherine. She hadn't been as respectful as he would have liked to see but at the same time, she had conducted herself better than Severus thought she would. Knowing the tension she was under, he didn't feel the need to press the issue as long as it didn't escalate.

Setting down the glass, he reached for his bottle of red ink and his favorite quill. Drawing the first exam to him, he settled into the task of painting the exam red.

Katherine changed out of her uniform and donned her favorite evening wear; her jeans and a "respectable" sweater, as Severus would put it. She looked at herself in the mirror for a moment noting the dark circles that had developed under her eyes, testimony to the fact she was having problems sleeping lately. Sighing, she sat on the chair and put on her comfortable sneakers before making her way back into the sitting room. She smiled slightly as she spotted the small stack of neatly rolled parchment. Severus was making sure she didn't forget her promise to grade the essays but she didn't mind; she knew he hated correcting essays. His idea of an essay was short and to the point and the rambling of some of the students, hoping that length would outweigh or hide the lack of actual content, drove him mad.

Pouring herself a glass of icy cold water from the pitcher that Carly always had ready and waiting on the sideboard, she sat down and pulled the stack towards her. Opening the first roll, she started reading.


	29. Just Normal Stuff

Chapter 29: Just Normal Stuff

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_AIA 9 am Thursday Morning_

Agent Nelson walked bleary eyed into his office the following morning. Normally, international travel didn't bother him that much but then, he was usually gone a week or so and his body was able to adjust. Since he had only been gone overnight, the five hour time difference had really messed up his internal clock. To be fair, his boss had told him to take the day off today, but, knowing the importance of the testimony, he decided to come in and get everything submitted. Maybe once that was done he could head back home and pass out for a few hours.

"Morning Sara," he greeted his secretary.

"Now what are you doing here. I was told you wouldn't be in today" the secretary said. "You look dead on your feet."

"Have to get these notes to Zack; he really needs to see these."

"Those the notes from the meeting with Marks yesterday?" Sara asked. "How did it go?"

Ben didn't answer immediately but looked at Sara. She had been working for the Directorate for as long as anyone could remember. If anyone had a question to which they couldn't find an answer they came to Sara. She was loyal, reliable and a bulldog when need be. Ben knew from experience that no one got past Sara into his office unless they either had an appointment or he said it was okay.

"Meeting went fine but this transcript is not going to make the Director happy. Is Zack in yet?"

"He got her e an hour ago. I haven't seen him leave so he is probably still there. He was muttering something about unending paperwork," she smiled.

"I'll go parole him from his paperwork. Can I get you to set up a couple of cups of coffee for us? I am just going to drop off my briefcase and gather my notes. Give us about 5 minutes?"

"No problem," Sara said.

"Thanks, I owe you one."

"You owe me more than just one; I'll add it to your account," Sara quipped back at him with a wave of her hand.

Smiling, Ben walked into his office and dropped his briefcase on the desk before sitting down in his chair and resting his head in his hands before scrubbing at his face with his hands; man he was tired. Opening up his briefcase, he pulled out the folder that contained his notes and stood up, heading towards Zack's office.

"Come," came a voice after Ben's knock.

Opening the door, Ben peeked in.

"Sara said you were being held hostage by paperwork. Care for a short parole?" he asked, as he opened the door wider and stepped in.

He saw Zack grimace. "Blasted quarterly reports. I spend more time getting the information for these things in order to make sure I can get them done that I don't get to my own case load let alone giving support to you poor clowns out working the streets. Speaking of which, you look like you got run over by a bus. What are you doing here anyway?"

Chuckling, Ben closed the door and grabbed a cup from the small tray sitting to the side of Zack's desk. He put the folder that held his notes down in front of Zack and took the seat in front of Zack's desk, sipping at the steaming coffee. He closed his eyes in bliss. Sara had chosen the hefty stuff this morning and he could actually feel the caffeine jolt.

At Zack's questioning look, Ben waved at the folder. "Notes from the Marks interview yesterday. We are going to have issues with the Director; I really think the kid is innocent. She admits to obliviating the Director but otherwise, everything she said indicates no knowledge of or participation in the murders of Marconi or her family. She was questioned under the purest veritaserum I have ever seen and I didn't get any feeling anyone was trying to hide anything."

"I did some background on this Severus Snape," Zack said. "He is purported to be the best Potions Master not only in the UK but essentially anywhere. I read a few of the papers he has written and I can't argue the point. The guy is not only intelligent but dedicated. He has created numerous new potions, mostly for healing, and takes on projects on request that no one else would even look at. What was your take on him?"

"He's protective of Marks," Ben said "but going on the fact she is his ward and apprentice I guess that would only make sense. He wasn't argumentative, cooperated fully and while supportive of Marks, didn't let her get belligerent or uncooperative."

"And the testimony?" Zack went on.

"It's in the folder there but honestly, nothing she said made me think she wasn't telling the absolute truth. Now, we know that it is possible that if someone believes something strongly enough they could possibly bypass the effects of the serum, but, in this case, I doubt it. Normally, we find mental issues with people who can bypass the serum and I would say that Miss Marks fully mentally capable. "

Zack pondered for a moment. "We heard back from Sanchez. The muggle authorities have finished the investigation. Sanchez says he think the final report will be out anytime. It doesn't look good either. Although everything is circumstantial, the muggles are trying to pin this one down. Something about the, what is it, district attorney is up for re-election. This case has drawn a lot of media attention and people are asking questions. They want to close this case and quickly."

"I'll take a look at the testimony you just handed to me; it'll give me an excuse to ignore these reports a little while longer. We can't do anything more with this today in any case as the Director is out. Go home, take a breather and come back tomorrow. By then I will have had enough time to get through the testimony and hopefully have the final muggle report from Sanchez. Once we have that, we can determine our strategy and then hit up the Director. With any luck, we'll have a final determination as to what we are going to do by Friday afternoon and if not, Monday at the latest."

"The brits are anxious to get this over with as well. I promised them I would get word to them as soon asI could," Ben said. "Auror Potter said he was going to work on lining up their witnesses making the presumption the case would go forward to trial."

"OK. Get out of my office and go home. Tomorrow will be soon enough to deal with the rest of this."

Putting his now empty cup back on the tray, Ben got up. "Enjoy the paperwork," he said as he walked out before Zack could reply. Heading back out, he went to his office to grab his briefcase and walking back out to the reception area, caught Sara's eye.

"Headed home. If anything major comes up you know how to get a hold of me. "

"My best to Sally," Sara said, referring to Ben's wife. "See you tomorrow."

Ben gave an absent wave as he made his way down the hallway.

_Hogwarts: Thursday Evening_

Katherine blew her bangs out of her eyes as she finished cleaning the 5th of 40 very full shelves in the potions storeroom. Taking the topmost shelves first, she was standing on a tall ladder with a piece of parchment and quill floating just to the right of her position. One of her better ideas, she had charmed the quill to accept dictation which saved her the time to actually write out the general inventory of good ingredients, their location and date of expiry, as well as list the ingredients that needed to be replaced. She had a bucket of water and a scrub brush hanging on the ladder and she grumbled as she cleaned the shelf. She had done the first shelf with a simple cleaning spell just as Severus had walked in. Even though he had seen the parchment and quill he ignored them and informed her that since she was cleaning due to deserved detentions, cleaning was to be done muggle style.

Finishing the scrubbing, she dried the shelf, magically, what the professor didn't see would save her time, and proceeded to put the good ingredients back onto the shelf. She couldn't do a complete re-arrange until all the shelves were done and the re-arrangement she had in mind had to be worked through. While stocking things alphabetically made sense, ingredients that reacted badly to one another had to be separated. At some point, some of those less than friendly to others type ingredients had ended up on the same shelf and in close proximity to each other. Given the fastidiousness and professionalism of Professor Snape, she highly doubted he was the one to place them so but she would have fun telling him what she had found. She had a feeling the 6th and 7th year NEWT students were going to get an earful as they were the only ones allowed to get ingredients out of this particular store.

Taking a quick breather, she glanced at the shelves she had yet to work through and did a quick calculation. She was only on the first night of her detention and had been at it for 2 hours. She had a week, 7 days, to get this done. Four hours a night would take her to roughly 4 days of detention just to do the cleaning and inventory. 2 days to do the full re-arrange and that would leave her last detention to do the cross referencing and final inventory write-up. The Professor, for whatever reason, had told her she didn't have to do the detention over the weekend but work Thursday and Friday and then pick it up the following week. Given the fact, however, she was still grounded, maybe a couple of extra hours each day over the weekend would get her done that much faster. She'd almost prefer doing any other type of detention than this tedious work but, she'd never tell HIM that. Grumbling just a little, she got started on the next shelf.

Severus was at his desk in the classroom grading yet more essays as he supervised the two 2nd years, one each from Slytherin and Gryffindor, scrubbing away at cauldrons and vials. While he still preferred to keep his Slytherin discipline within the house, he couldn't do it with this one as the little brat had gotten into a fight with the Gryffindor beside him in full view of the great hall that morning. While it had been Professor Flitwick that had broken up the fight, he agreed to let Severus supervise the 3 days of detention. Still, Stenor, the Slytherin, had more to worry about than just his detentions. Severus was still of the mind that any Slytherin that go into trouble with another teacher had to face his displeasure as well. The boy still had to have that little chat with his head-of-house but since it was a first offense for this one and the child's grades had never been anything less than Exceeds Expectations in all of his classes, Severus had decided he would be unusually lenient. He would lecture the boy to tears, ground him to his dormitory for the weekend and set him 1000 very long lines to be turned in before supper on Sunday. By the end of the weekend, the boy would be properly too terrified of his head-of-house to ever get into another fight, or at least not a fight where he got caught.

Stalking over to the two boys, and inwardly smirking at the looks of near terror on their faces, Severus leaned over to check their progress. To the dismay of both, he set 6 of the 8 cauldrons already cleaned back on the other side where a large stack of dirty cauldrons still waited.

"I said clean, not just rinsed. Do these again. You've both been here for over two hours and have barely gotten started. Since you were so kind enough to get so many detentions, I have compiled a list of work to be completed. If everything on that list isn't completed by the time your detentions have been served, I will simply keep adding days until it IS completed. Now get busy," he finished sternly, not even staying long enough to hear their single chorused 'yes sir' as he walked to the storeroom to check on his other student in detention.

He had checked on Katherine earlier to find her using magic to clean off the storeroom shelves. While he admired her spunk, he had informed her that students serving detention cleaned things the muggle way. He had let the parchment and quill she was using to dictate the inventory alone. While it would have added to the detention, it was safer for her to dictate the inventory rather than rely on possible shorthand methods in order to get things completed and not being able to remember what the shorthanded words meant; Severus had personal experience with that particular issue.

_Flashback_

Severus stood silently in front of Master Troyan, his eyes lined up on the cauldron on Master Troyan's cloak.

"When I said clean, re-arrange and inventory, I didn't mean half-hearted. You have Frog Liver Bile not only on the same shelf as the Amanita but right next to it. What were you thinking? You know full well those two don't mix well," Troyan said sternly handing the sheaf of parchment back to Severus. "Students blowing up the lab are one thing. Having the lab self combust or become full of toxic smoke because of an accident due to poor storage is just irresponsible. You HAVE to pay attention to this. Double check everything and re-arrange accordingly. I expect this to be completed by Monday morning."

Severus' head came up. "But Master," he protested. "We had plans to go to Paris this weekend. I told you about it."

"Yes, you did," Troyan responded softly. "Had you completed the inventory properly than you would be on your way. Since you were more interested in this trip than doing your work properly, you have lost the privilege. Are you getting the point here?"

"Yes Sir," Severus responded not quite able to keep the resentment out of his voice.

"Keep the attitude and it won't be just this weekend you are here in the lab," Troyan added sternly.

Turning without further acknowledgement, Severus made his way back into the storeroom, grimacing at the number of small vials and bottles that held ingredients for any kind of potion anyone would want to make. Since Master Troyan was the Potions Master in charge of the lab, it always fell to his apprentice to keep up with the chore of maintaining the storeroom. He'd spent the better part of two weeks in here doing a complete inventory, cleaning and re-arranging. Many of the labels, even on the good ingredients, had been faded from being handled. Severus had taken the time to re-write each label and add a non-fade charm to make sure each label remained legible. When Severus had started he had looked forward to the job, noting that the positions of the vials and bottles weren't the best for quick access. Now, he just looked at them resentfully.

Originally he had written everything down, eventually using a sort of shorthand for the longer ingredient names to save time. Unfortunately, by the time he had inventoried the entire store, the shorthand had ended up as chicken scratch and rather than re-checking things, Severus had gone with the most probable name. In hindsight, he was lucky he was just losing the weekend. Master Troyan was very strict and had very high expectations. Being grounded was a minor punishment compared to what else could happen. Sighing heavily, Severus _accioed_ a quill and some parchment from Master Troyan's desk, charmed the quill to take dictation and proceeded to re-inventory, re-assess and re-arrange things properly.

_End Flashback_

"How are you doing in here?" Severus asked Katherine.

"OK I guess," she said, gesturing to two boxes that were sitting on the floor of the storeroom; Severus could see they contained several vials and bottles.

"Not doing too badly on the expired ingredients. What is in those two boxes is all I have right now, but, the main problem is trying to find temporary safe locations for some of these others that are still good. Somehow, some of these ingredients were put next to some others that make for some very unhappy style reactions if the two mix. "

Severus' eyes went even darker. "Seems I need to have a little chat with the NEWT students," Severus replied grimly.

"You have another 90 minutes remaining. When you get done, just put the vials and other bottles back by the sink. The two industrious little fighters there can work on cleaning those out tomorrow night" he continued. "You can pick this up tomorrow."

"It's going to take nearly the entire week to get this done," Katherine groused.

Severus just smirked. "That was the general idea. Back to work apprentice," he ordered almost playfully. "Maybe next time you will mind your manners."

Flushing at the reminder as to how she got herself into this mess in the first place, Katherine didn't answer but turned back to the shelf.

_Godrics Hollow 8 PM_

Harry arrived at his front door nearly two hours late and to top it off, it had been snowing all day and the wind was blustery and cold. He hadn't bothered with the normal protections he could use for the short walk to the house from the apparition point; he just wanted to get into the house, get something to eat and just forget about work for the night. The Marks case was just one headache he had to deal with. Why cases seemed to increase near the holidays remained a mystery to Harry. Oh, they had their standard number of simple thefts or attempted thefts each year, but, the added assaults and other attacks just baffled him.

Stomping the snow off his shoes and opening the door, he was surprised when no one was at the door to greet him. Normally Teddy got to him first, then James with Ginny hovering until Harry could extricate himself from the two boys.

"Hey," Harry called as he slipped off his coat and dropped his briefcase on the hall table, "anyone home?" and then chuckled at the sound of running feet…Teddy he knew.

"Uncle Harry," the boy cried happily as he ran towards Harry but skidded to stop, tilting his head as he looked at his Godfather, "how come you're all covered in snow?"

"Well munchkin, could be because it is snowing outside," Harry growled at him and picked him up, causing the boy to squeal as Harry tickled him. "Where is the other terror and your Aunt Ginny?" Harry asked the boy as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Well, Aunt Hermione and Hugo are here so everyone is in the kitchen. Aunt Ginny is baking cookies…yum! I'm cutting out the cookies and James is putting the sugar stuff on top when they get done out of the oven."

Setting Teddy back on his feet, Harry opened the door to the kitchen to see Hermione and Ginny involved in conversation as Ginny deftly pulled another tray of her special sugar cookies out of the oven.

"Sure, girls get involved in girl talk and the men get left to their own devices," Harry teased. Ginny came around the table and gave Harry a big smacking kiss, causing Teddy to giggle and then James decided he wanted in on the cuddles and wrapped his arms around Harry's knees, nearly causing Harry to fall. Reaching down, he scooped up James and after a quick kiss to the boy's forehead and a daddy tickle, he turned to Hermione.

"Ron was heading home just after I left," he said in answer to her unspoken question. "We got held up with some late afternoon assault cases." It went through Harry's head that even after all this time; he could still decipher Hermione's thoughts. Of course, they HAD been nearly inseparable, Ron, Hermione and he, during their time at Hogwarts.

"I came over to solidify the plans for Christmas Eve and Day," Hermione said. Ginny arm wrestled me and is hosting for Christmas Day so that means Ron and I get Christmas Eve," she said with a smile, standing to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "I better get going. Ron'll be home by now and I had one of the neighbors come in to watch Hugo for a little bit. Hugo has a mild cold and I didn't want to take him out or take a chance on getting Teddy and James sick as well."

"Out of pepper-up?" Harry asked her as he set James down, giving in to the toddler's wiggling. He watched as James crawled up onto the chair and stared intently at the cookies cooling on the counter.

"No, I have some, but, he needs to have these little colds so he can build his immune system. I won't use it unless it gets too bad. He'll be fine in a day or two," she said as she stood up.

"Ginny, I'll catch up with you in a day or two. Better feed this husband of yours," Hermione quipped.

"Back in a sec Gin…let me see Hermione out." Ginny just nodded as she pulled yet another tray of cookies out of the oven.

Harry walked Hermione to the door and held her coat for her as she slipped her arms in. "Have a good night," he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Big hug for Hugo from me."

"I will Harry…night."

Harry stood in the door until he saw Hermione safely apparate away. Closing the door to the cold night, he returned to the kitchen and his family. Time to relax.


	30. Meet Director Michaels

Chapter 30: Meet Director Michaels

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_AIA 9 am Friday Morning_

In a parody of the day before, Agent Nelson walked towards his office. He felt better but the nasty weather outside, again, had him wishing it was approaching Spring rather than Winter. Sara had been absent from her desk but that wasn't necessarily unusual as her duties often took her to other parts of the directorate. Ben took a moment to drop his briefcase on the desk and shrug out of his winter coat, preferring a muggle style wool coat as opposed to the often less warm wizard's winter cloak. Hanging up the coat, he walked over to the coffee pot that stood on the sideboard and realized Sara had anticipated him. Smiling, he poured a cup of the steaming liquid and made his way to his desk. That's when he saw the note taped to his computer:

_Ben…come see me when you get in. The final report is in; we need to talk. Zack._

Debating whether or not to finish his coffee first, Ben decided to take his cup with him as he made his way to Zack's office.

Ben knocked on Zack's door and entered at the muffled "come."

As Ben stepped in, he had to keep a chuckle from escaping. Agent-in-Charge Zack Benson, the neatest person Ben had ever worked with, was inundated with stacks of paper. They were all over the place; his desk, the bookcase behind him, on the sideboard and even on the wide windowsill under the floor to ceiling window that showed a gray sky and what had been flurries when Ben arrived at the office, was now a steady snow.

"Where did the paper explosion come from?" Ben asked a harried looking Zack.

"I finished the quarterlies, submitted them and that harridan of the Director's took one look, sniffed at me and stated I obviously hadn't gotten the new required additions to the report. She hands me two PAGES of new requirements which required me to dig into the archives," Zack indicated the stacks of paper with an absent minded wave, "to get the information." Zack sighed "should be done in a day or so. "

Ben took the chair in front of Zack's desk. "You said the report was ready?"

"It's right here," Zack said, picking up the folder and handing it to Ben. Go ahead and take a look."

Ben read over the final report from the muggle authorities on the investigation into the house fire at the Marks' home.

'Total structural loss,' he read, skipping the excessive writing and concentrating on the pertinent facts. 'No evidence of electrical or other mechanical deficiencies. All doors locked from the inside with evidence of damage due to effort to egress. All victim remains located in front room within 3 feet of front door or near front windows. Outside perimeter free of accelerants and catalysts. Evidence of copious amounts of fire suppressants located 10 feet from structure; no suppressants found on or at base of structure. Firefighters indicate application of fire suppressants was ineffective. Investigation shows presence of one Katherine Marie Marks, daughter of …. less than 12 hours prior to start of fire. Witnesses witnessed fight between Katherine Marie Marks and …. on day in question. Witnesses indicate ….. seemed afraid of daughter and indicated he had admitted concern for the safety of his family. Location of Katherine Marie Marks is as yet unknown. Final ruling: arson resulting in deaths of …. Recommendation: locate and detain Katherine Marie Marks for questioning and remand to courts under charges of arson and murder.'

Ben grimaced. "Not really a surprise, we more or less knew what they were going to say. Has the Director seen this yet?"

"No. I got Sanchez to send me the report and told him I would present it to the Director. We have a meeting scheduled for 1300 today. I need you to gather up everything from Hogwarts with your written observations and analysis of the testimony given. Add the muggle report and again, any analysis you may wish to add, positive or negative, anything you think might impact the Director's decision. We have to convince him to deal with the wizard side of this case first in the hopes we can possibly avoid the muggle side of things."

"You believe Ms Marks is innocent as well?" Ben asked him.

"I re-read her statement and the testimony. What information was given seems complete and the two mesh in regards to what happened; there is no deviation in the stories. I just don't get the feeling that she's trying to hide anything."

Ben nodded. "I'll work this up and be ready."

_Hogwarts _

It was 3 PM and Severus was halfway through his last class of the day, a double period with none other than third year Gryffindors and Slytherins. Second through fifth years were the worst as the kids were old enough and had been around each other long enough that their mutual dislike of each other was already well formed. First years were too afraid of him and the sixth and seventh years developed a sort of shield against one another, or maybe some level of maturity, and were less likely to try and kill one another with pranks in the lab.

Since Katherine had completed her classes for the day, Severus took advantage of the extra set of eyes and had her roaming the room to help him keep order. She worked well with the students, not paying any more attention to one house or the other, equally pointing out errors and offering up suggestions on how to fix them. He knew she was generally liked by the students, at all year levels despite the fact she was only 14, and she held the respect of the staff as well. Her grades were consistently high and showed an ongoing effort to continue to learn rather than just wading through her classes. She asked tough questions at times and pushed for answers, going beyond the general information and looking for more in depth analysis of concepts or theories. She never took what was in the texts at face value but always went to other outside sources to corroborate or expand the information presented. While at times she seemed much older than her 14 years, the other times she was the typical 14-year old not only when it came to attitude and mischief but also in emotional angst. 'Young teenagers,' he thought, 'are the bane of any adult's existence. Always upset over something or other, argumentative, full of attitude one minute and acting like the world is coming to an end the next. Yet I continue to teach why?' he asked himself bemusedly. He would never admit it, even under extreme torture, but he actually enjoyed the challenge, and the occasional exceptionally bright and eager potions student made it worthwhile. He finished this thought even as he swooped down on one of his Slytherins just as the boy was trying to sneak some extra porcupine quills into the distracted Gryffindor's cauldron behind him. Since the Gryffindor's potion was already obviously incorrect, adding the extra quills would have resulted in disaster.

"Mr. Turell I wasn't aware that the instructions included adding extra quills to the cauldron behind you. Tell me, did Mr. Lawrence request your aid; did he need some extra quills?" he asked, his voice stern. "I can hardly see why considering his potion already resembles something closer to the consistency of asphalt rather than the blue liquid that it should be. That tells me there were too many quills added before the eel scales, which is the incorrect order anyway, which tells me he wasn't paying attention. "

The 3rd-year Gryffindor frowned into his cauldron even as he returned his attention to Severus, and swallowed hard as Severus gave a quick wave of his wand and banished the simmering black goop without looking at the boy.

"Please do explain Mr. Turell" Severus continued, his gaze steady on the Slytherin whose cheeks had flushed in embarrassment.

"I was just trying to help. I saw him add the eel scales and knew the quills were next but I didn't see any ready to add," the boy said defensively. "You always say we need to help others," he continued belligerently. Katherine, having turned with the rest of the students when Severus had started speaking, just rolled her eyes at the boy's response and then turned her attention back to the Gryffindor girl she was assisting. He was facing a night of lines and possibly a sore backside with that type of response to his head of house.

Severus put his hands on the table and leaned down until his face was only inches from the boy's, inwardly smirking as the child's eyes widened and he leaned back as far as the table behind him would allow. "And your attention was turned behind you for what reason Mr. Turell?" Severus continued, his voice silky. "Your attention is supposed to remain on your own potion which is also incorrect since you decided to ignore the fact you are supposed to be constantly stirring at this point" he went on, standing upright again as he banished the black, but at least less viscous, liquid then the unlucky Gryffindor's attempt.

After a long glare at the boy he pointed to his cauldron. "I'll see you in my office immediately after class. You are to keep your eyes to your own work. Both of you have an hour left which should give you just enough time to re-brew this potion…get to work and pay attention. If either of you have the same result either of you just displayed, you will both be in detention until you get it right."

Muttered "yes Sirs" were followed immediately by two boys making their way to the student ingredient cupboards. Severus walked back up to his desk and leaned against it, raking the entire room with his gaze. The only one that seemed to be immune was Katherine who shot a quick, cheeky grin at Severus before lending a hand to the next student.

_AIA: 1250_

Zack and Ben arrived at the Director's outer office area to be met by Mrs. Leiderhorn, the woman who had served as the Director's administrative assistant; she refused to be called a secretary, for the last 50 years. A large woman, she had a head of blue-gray hair that was tied back neatly in a severe bun at the nape of her neck. Her silver wire rimmed librarian style square glasses were perched at the end of a sharply pointed nose and her gray eyes froze anyone who entered the office. Unendingly efficient, she was feared by all, including the Director. She took one look at Zack, who inwardly cringed.

"You might like to know you are the last to hand in your quarterly report. It was supposed to be on the Director's desk before end of business yesterday."

"As I said this morning when I tried to turn it in and you handed it back to me," Zack gritted out," I didn't get the word on the required changes. The Director will have his report by tomorrow."

She sniffed. "The changes were sent out over a month ago. You need to check your own internal routing because it is obvious that efficiency is not its strong point. "

"Look you harri…." Zack started with heat only to break off whatever he was going to say when the Director's door opened.

"Zack and Agent…Nelson is it?" the Director said. "I'm ready for you."

After sending the somewhat affronted Mrs Liederhorn a withering look, Zack and Ben followed the Director into his office.

_Hogwarts: 4:00 PM_

"Bottle up your potions and put them on my desk then class dismissed. Mr Turell, in my office," Severus ordered as he started to the door that led to his private office. The third year Slytherin swallowed hard but bottled his potion. Grabbing his bag, he walked up to the desk and placed the vial carefully into the rack on Severus' desk before making his way over to where his head of house was standing. Not daring to glance up, he walked through the door Severus was holding open and swallowed again as Severus closed the door behind him with a decidedly stern click.

"Sit," Severus ordered, indicating the hard chair in front of his desk, the hard chair he reserved specifically for his wayward students.

Taking his preferred place in front of his desk, he crossed his arms over his chest and put on his best Professor Snape glare as he regarded his student. Even though the boy was studying the floor in fascination, Severus watched him swallow hard and fidget in the hard chair. Severus waited a minute, literally, letting the boy squirm before he finally took a little pity on him and broke the tense silence.

"Look at me," he said sternly, waiting, as the boy slowly raised his chin, and then his eyes, to look at his teacher.

"Be grateful you were stopped before adding those quills," he said. "Had you been successful and the resulting consequences had manifested, there would have been nothing that would have kept you from going over my knee and eating your next few meals on your feet. Potions can be dangerous and willfully sabotaging another's cauldron without knowing the contents can lead to more than simply ruining a potion. Added ingredients can take an otherwise harmless potion and turn it deadly. If I EVER catch you or hear of you doing something like this again, nothing will save your backside…am I clear?" He added.

"Y-yes S-Sir," the boy stuttered, his pale face flushing in embarrassment even as he squirmed some more on the chair.

Severus stared at him for another minute without speaking even as he flipped through his mental files of the boy. Third year, son of a respected pureblood family; a decent student he maintained passing grades and only occasionally got into minor trouble as kids will do. Most of the issues had been handled by the prefects with only the occasional detention served with him for other simple lapses; certainly nothing along this line.

"Other than meals, you are grounded to your dormitory for the weekend. If you need to go to the library you may request permission, however, you will be monitored. Leave the library for anything other than returning to your dorm and you will be speaking with me as to the reason why. You will write an essay, a minimum of 4 feet to be handed to me on Monday at the start of class, detailing out today's potion, its properties, ingredients, brewing process and what happens with that potion if the wrong ingredients are used or extra ingredients are added in the wrong order. Maybe this will give you a better idea of what can happen. Finally, I want 500 lines from you prior to breakfast tomorrow, the contents of which," here Severus broke off as he turned around and picked up a spare piece of parchment off his desk, tapped it with his wand and then handed it to the boy," will appear on this parchment when you begin writing," he finished. "The lines are for the disrespectful way you addressed me in the classroom. I may have to tolerate a lack of intelligence due to your age but I will never tolerate disrespect."

"Yes Sir, I'm sorry," the boy said, not knowing if a response was required but not taking any chances.

"To your dormitory then," Severus said, his voice softening slightly though probably not enough for the boy to really notice. He put his hand on the boy's back in a mildly comforting gesture, walking with the boy he stood and started making his way to the door that led to the Slytherin common room. Opening the door, Severus let the boy go through before closing the door and walking to the door that led to his quarters.

_AIA: 1300_

The Director led the way back into his office and took a chair behind the ornate desk as he waited for his two agents to take their own seats. Zack closed the door behind him then laid the folder on the Marks case on the Director's desk before taking his seat next to Ben. Zack was mildly annoyed when the Director only glanced at the folder, not bothering to actually pick it up and open it.

His eyes a cold and impersonal gray, the Director looked at the agents. He had taken over the Director position only a year ago, having worked his way up in the directorate, making himself nearly indispensible when it came to ferreting out information about people or events, even if that information wasn't always completely accurate. It had been a hard climb but worth the effort. Now, he was in charge and determined that things were going to change. Granted, he had to still convince some political holdouts of the impact he could have if given nearly free reign, but, he didn't think it would take too long. Donations for campaigns and the occasional one-on-one dinner invitation went a long way to gaining the support he would need to implement the changes he saw as necessary to improve the Directorate. The place was out of control and he was just the one to bring it back into line.

"Now, which case are we discussing here?" the Director asked. Zack barely resisted the desire to roll his eyes; this guy really was an idiot, Zack thought to himself.

"The Marks case," Zack said, gesturing to the folder he had placed on the Director's desk. The Director looked at it as though he had just noticed it. "Agent Nelson just returned from Scotland after having interviewed Ms Marks. His analysis and our notes on the investigation to date, including the results of the muggle investigation are included in the report."

"Give me the rundown," the Director ordered.

Zack sighed. "We received notification of a suspicious fire at a cabin located in the area about 2 miles from town. When agents arrived on scene, they verified that a cabin had been burned to the ground and a body inside had been identified as Master Giovanni Marconi. A few weeks later, we were notified by Agent Sanchez, muggle law enforcement liaison, of a suspicious fire at the home of Andrew and Julia Marks in which 4 bodies were located. Identification was made on Andrew, Julia, Christopher and Sienna Marks but the other daughter, Katherine Marks, age 14, was not in the house. Interviews with neighbors indicated that Andrew Marks had a fight with Katherine Marks on the day in question. Neighbors indicated that after the argument, Ms Marks left the area and has not returned. Investigation into the whereabouts of Katherine Marks went cold until we received a request for contact with her parents from one HeadMaster Stephanos Troyan of the Kepler Academy. Apparently, Ms Marks had gained acceptance to the Academy under the name of Sienna Marks, who we identified as her older sister; the picture we were originally sent matches that of Sienna Marks. HeadMaster Troyan indicated that due to an illness, Ms Marks had been in the infirmary of the Academy and they needed to contact her parents. During her time in the infirmary, her features changed; he speculated on the use of Polyjuice though she had been in the infirmary for 3 days without benefit of taking the potion before her features changed. A search of the room belonging to Ms Marks, then thought to be Sienna Marks, did not yield any Polyjuice potion but some tablets which were later identified as a Polyjuice derivative. In an effort to verify the identity the young lady in the infirmary, HeadMaster Troyan sent us a second picture. Going on school records, we identified the girl as Katherine Marks, the youngest daughter." Here Zack took a second, looking at the Director who simply motioned for him to continue.

Zack looked at Ben and nodded; Ben took up the explanation.

"Forging the application due to the fact she was underage and using a Polyjuice derivative in table form, Ms Marks managed to gain acceptance to the Academy. When the Polyjuice derivative wore off and her identity was known, HeadMaster Troyan made arrangements to have her leave the Academy in the guardianship and apprenticeship of a Master Severus Snape and they now reside at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where Master Snape is a Professor teaching potions. Neither Headmaster Troyan nor Master Snape were aware of any pending charges or issues with Ms Marks beyond her forgery of the application paperwork. When we received preliminary analysis of the Marks' fire, charges were brought and passed to Master Snape and Ms Marks through the British Ministry of Magic and Auror Headquarters . Working with the British Ministry of Magic and Auror Headquarters, I travelled to Hogwarts to interview Ms Marks in an effort to determine if extradition and trial might be necessary since we did not as yet have the final determination of the muggle investigation. Upon questioning, Ms Marks indicated that she had been living with Master Marconi after her parents learned of her being a witch from Master Marconi and had requested she not return to the house. She said she came back from a walk, in which she was gathering herbs, to find the cabin on fire and no sign of Master Marconi. The next morning, she gained knowledge of the fire at her family's home and panicking, she started to make arrangements to get to the Academy. She managed to stay hidden and forged the paperwork, using her sister's name, for the Academy. When she received notification to test, she left the area. The specifics of the application process are included in the report along with statements from Ms Marks, Master Snape and Headmaster Troyan as to the events that transpired at the Academy. "

"So what is your final analysis here?" the Director demanded.

"Director," Ben said. "Upon completing the interview, which was done under tested and verified Veritaserum, it is my conclusion that Katherine Marks is not responsible for the fire that killed her family, nor for the death of Master Marconi. At this point we do not see a reason to go to a hearing, let alone a full trial. I think you will agree when you read the final report."

"If I remember," the Director said, "when this first came to light, this Katherine Marks readily admits to coming into the Directorate under false pretenses, gained MY signature for the application and then obliviating me before merrily sauntering off to Germany. She is still underage and therefore a ward of the American Directorate authorities. As per our regulations, her guardianship and apprenticeship to an outside entity must be approved by us and I don't believe that request was received nor approval granted. She is to be returned to Directorate control. I am willing to entertain a hearing vice a trial right now but the trial option will remain open if it is determined there is enough evidence to warrant such an action," he handed the file back to Zack, never having opened it. "Start the extradition and set-up for a hearing."

"Yes Sir," Zack said stiffly, standing up with Ben by his side. "We will let you know our progress."

The Director didn't answer, just waved them out.

They got into Zack's office before he exploded.

"That pompous idiot," Zack fumed. "He demands a report, can't even be bothered to actually read it," Zack tossed the folder on his desk, "and makes an instant determination of a hearing with just a quick rundown of nearly 2 months worth of investigation. Something else is going on here, he doesn't give a newt's eye about Marks and her actions. Oh sure, he may be embarrassed a bit because she got the best of him and managed to obliviate him, serves him right for being such a brainless and incompetent snake, but now he is going to make us spend a lot of time AND effort, to have a hearing that is going to go nowhere. We already know the Director has some sort of history with this Master Snape so maybe this hearing is simply a reason to inconvenience him."

Ben watched as Zack sat down. "I'll take the lead on the formal extradition request and get the information to Auror Potter and I'll also send word to Master Snape. They are probably going to fight the extradition until the date of the hearing," he added, looking at Zack.

"You know Ben, let them fight it; don't press too hard," Zack said, his eyes hardening. "We don't have holding facilities for juveniles and I refuse to put a 14-yr old girl in main holding. I'll work on getting a hearing date and hopefully we can get this finalized quickly. "

Returning to his office, Ben sat down and rubbed his face with his hands before grabbing paper and pen and wrote:

Auror Potter:

We have met with the Director and despite our best efforts he is insisting on immediate extradition and a hearing; date to be determined. I will notify the correct office to start the extradition process and will forward the hearing date as soon as it can be scheduled.

'Now,' Ben thought to himself, 'how do I subtly let them know to fight the extradition or at least delay it?'

Thinking for a moment, he wrote:

The extradition office will forward the request to me and I will send it on as per Directorate regulations. Once you receive the request you are expected to confirm extradition arrangements as soon as they become available.

I have notified Master Snape by separate notice of the outcome of the meeting with the Director.

Agent Benjamin Nelson

American Intelligence Agency

Penning off a quick notice to Master Snape, he sealed the two envelopes. Walking briskly to the mail division, he waited over 30 minutes for the clerk to take the envelopes. Glancing uninterestedly at the addresses, the clerk walked over to two tawny owls and gave them each their respective missives. Carrying both owls over to the floo at the same time, the clerk, in turn, sent each owl to its destination.

Stamping a receipt, the clerk handed it to Ben and went back to work without a word.

Ben walked away shaking his head at Directorate employees…'some people,' he thought 'have the brains of a bowtruckle.'

Even as he went back to his office to finish off a few other things, two owls winged their way to Hogwarts and Godric's Hallow.


	31. Making Plans

I do apologize for the delay in updates. I had a 9 credit graduate load and was working 50 hour weeks so needless to say time was extremely limited. Am happy to say that classes are OVER and I have flatly refused to register for any summer courses . My hope is to get Protégé completely or nearly completely finished before the fall semester starts in late September….we shall see.

Chapter 31: Making Plans

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_Hogwarts_

Severus walked into his quarters relieved that classes were over for the day. In uncharacteristic disinterest, he dropped the stack of essays he was carrying on his desk to be tortured with later. He really should have given Turell detention but in truth, he had wanted a Friday evening to himself and he had managed, through the week, to actually avoid giving anyone detention for the entire weekend, which had to be a record. No, this weekend he would relax, work on an article he needed to submit and do some brewing of his own. He had 60 hours of quiet bliss pending and woe to any Slytherin who caused any issues this weekend that the prefects couldn't handle on their own. Just as he was about to pour himself a glass of brandy, the floo flared and he sighed before turning around and saw his visitor, and knew his plans for the weekend had probably just been changed.

Sure enough, Albus stepped into the room, a tawny owl on his shoulder. "Headmaster," Severus started. "It's 4:30, on a Friday afternoon. Can't this wait?"

"So sorry my dear boy," Albus replied cheerfully, making Severus want to do nothing more than strangle the old man for his cheerfulness. "This owl arrived for you and since the note is addressed from the American Directorate, I imagine it has something to do with Ms Marks."

Severus scowled a bit. He should have realized that Agent Benson would be contacting them soon; he had admitted to such when he had left on Wednesday.

Stepping closer, Severus gently untied the missive from the owl, who watched him with a baleful stare. Opening the envelope he read:

"Greetings Master Snape. We have met with the Director who is insisting upon a full hearing. I have sent notification to Auror Potter in separate correspondence as to the outcome of the meeting. Extradition procedures are being initiated and a date for the hearing is being finalized. As soon as I have the date, I will notify you and Auror Potter. Respectfully, Agent Benjamin Nelson, AIA."

Severus sighed even as he turned back to Albus. "It's from Agent Nelson. Apparently the Director is not willing to let this go and wants a full hearing, date to be determined. I need to speak with Harry in order to determine our next steps. Katherine isn't going to take this well; damned Michaels," he groused. "Always has to have his moment of fame no matter who he tramples in the meantime." Severus absently reached into a small jar that held owl treats and held it out to the tawny, who took it gently from his fingers, making Severus smile slightly at the soft chirp of thanks he received in return.

"We may need to hold another meeting here with Harry in order to coordinate our actions," Severus said, looking at Albus.

"We can always accommodate," Albus said, even as he turned back to the floo. "Whenever you are ready. Are you going to tell Ms Marks tonight?"

Severus grimaced. "I don't know. I was hoping to give her a quiet weekend for once but we knew further information would be coming. I may get with Harry first and then let her know. Waiting another day or two won't make much difference in things and I may have more tangible plans to give her as well."

Albus nodded and Severus waited until he had left before turning on his heel and heading for the Slytherin common room. Stopping in consideration for a moment, he conjured his patronus, dictated a short message and sent it on its way then conjuring a second and sent it off as well. Continuing on his way, he walked in to the Slytherin common room and spotted one of his prefects standing over the first years seated at one of the larger tables. It was a strict rule in Slytherin that first years were required to work in a study group for two hours every night after classes regardless if they had homework to complete. A prefect was there to answer questions and just to keep an eye on the youngest Slytherins to make sure any homework was completed or just to watch over those who were reading ahead.

The prefect, one of his 6th year girls, looked up at him and offered a smile as he approached. "Good evening Sir," she said.

"Miss Perry," Severus returned. "A moment of your time if you would?"

"Of course Sir," she answered, leaning over to quietly speak with one of the first years before walking to Severus, who had taken a few steps back. The first years, to a one, glanced at him in curiosity, quickly turning back to their parchment and books when he just raised an eyebrow at them accompanied by a stern look. Severus had to smirk; he loved training his first years and this set had caught on quickly.

Severus spoke as soon as his prefect stepped up to him. "I need to leave the castle for an hour or so; if I am going to be longer I will send word. Please let the other prefects know and if something comes up that needs attention beyond the prefect level, inform Professor McGonagall. She will take temporary control while I am gone and will be aware of my location should I need to return ."

"Yes Sir," she answered. "I'll let them know. We should be able to handle the crowd," she smiled. "With end of term exams approaching, it tends to be quiet in the evenings. "

"I will return as quickly as I can, good evening Miss Perry," he said, even as he turned and strode back out.

The prefect sighed a bit. She knew her head-of-house, his reputation, his past history and she didn't respect anyone more. Despite the tough exterior, he cared about his students. For many in the house, he was more of a parent than a teacher and often a better parent then the ones many students had at home.

_Godric's Hollow_

Harry smiled as he walked up to the house. It was only 4:30, he was out of work not only on time but even 30 minutes early, it was Friday, he had all of his paperwork done and he had told the minister that unless the world was coming to an end, to make the assumption Harry wasn't home. The minister had smiled, slapped him on the back and told him to enjoy his weekend.

As usual, as soon as Harry walked in, he was nearly bowled over by Teddy and James; one tackling his waist, the other his knees.

"Hey," he laughed, setting his briefcase down in order to try and maintain his balance. "Take it easy on the old man," as he ruffled Teddy's hair and reached down to snag James in order to unlock his knees. Swinging the smaller toddler up in his arms, he dropped a kiss on the dark hair then leaned down to give the same to Teddy. "Where's Aunt Ginny?" he asked Teddy, putting a gentle hand on the boy's head.

"Kitchen," the boy replied, "making chicken and stuff. Can we go fly tonight?"

"Hmmm," Harry looked up as though thinking. "Were you a good boy today?" he asked, barely hiding a chuckle at the solemn but emphatic nodding of the boy's head. "Are you sure about that" Harry went on, teasing the boy. "Uncle Harrrryyyy," the boy complained, causing the chuckle Harry had been holding back to come out. "As long as the weather holds I don't see a reason we can't go up for a little bit after dinner," laughing at Teddy's exalted 'yayyyyyy' as he ran back towards the kitchen, presumably to tell Ginny that he and Uncle Harry were going flying. "Fwy," James said with a grin. "Oooo, not yet buddy," Harry said "mummy would kill daddy but you can fly THIS way," he said, as he grasped the boy under the arms and swung him up a bit, echoing the small boy's laughter. Catching him securely again, Harry walked into the kitchen.

Ginny was finishing up what looked like some green beans, smiling as she absently listened to Teddy, managing to cue in at the appropriate time to add a comment or two and make it look like she was actually listening. Hearing the door open, more sedately this time, she turned and saw Harry. "Easy day?" she asked, as Harry walked over and kissed her cheek.

"Easier than most. I got all my paperwork finished and reports filed so I told the minister that as a reward for my excellent behavior, I was going home and unless the world comes to an end, not to call me because I wouldn't be available."

Ginny's eyebrows lifted as she laughed. "And he agreed to that?"

Harry walked over to the high chair where Albus was seated, set James on the floor with a pat on his back and leaned down to kiss the toothless grinning Albus on the cheek.

"He didn't exactly agree but he told me to enjoy the weekend. "

"I wouldn't get too comfortable," Ginny said. At Harry's look she went on. "Owl arrived for you just before you got home; it must have just missed you at work. Letter from Agent Benson. I put it in your study."

Harry sighed. "I better go look at it just in case. I hope it isn't anything major but it is probably the outcome from the interview Wednesday. Back in a few minutes."

Harry walked out into the livingroom and was met by a patronus…Severus' patronus Harry noted. At his approach, he heard Severus' voice. "Letter from Agent Benson and I'd like to speak with you tonight. Will be there shortly. If you are unavailable, just respond back with a more convenient time."

Harry shook his head with a smile; Severus never had been one to waste words. Harry waved off the patronus indicating no response and turned back towards the kitchen.

"Gin," he said at the door. "Severus will be arriving in a few minutes; he wants to speak with me about the Mark case. Can you hold dinner for a little bit?"

"It's early yet," Ginny said. "Hogwart's hasn't had dinner yet so maybe Severus can join us; there's more than enough here and I know he likes this particular dish."

With a nod, Harry walked back out and detouring back into the livingroom to pick up his briefcase, he made his way down the hall to his study. After entering, he dropped his case on the small side table and spotted the letter. Just as he was about to open it, he heard the unmistakable noise of apparition. Taking the letter with him, he opened the door just as Severus strode up. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Do you always just open the door without ascertaining their identity or even waiting for them to announce themselves?" Severus asked him.

Harry colored a little knowing he was right. "Got your patronus, you said you'd be here shortly, figured it was you."

Severus just snorted and stepped in as Harry stepped back.

"Ginny says dinner will be ready in a few minutes and it just so happens she made that chicken dish you are so fond of. You are more than welcome to stay for dinner," Harry said, as he closed the door.

"Thank you, I will. Mrs Potter's version surpasses even Hogwart's recipe," he said with a small smile.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Severus gestured to the letter in Harry's hand. "Did you read the letter from Agent Benson?"

"Just got home. Was getting ready to read it when I heard you," Harry colored again in slight embarrassment at his lack of attention to safety.

"Apparently Director Michaels has decided," here Severus snorted "that he wants a full hearing; date has yet to be determined. They are starting the extradition process."

Frowning, Harry opened the missive and quickly read. "Says here they are going to contact the auror office to get the extradition process started, but otherwise no major information other than he'll send the hearing date as soon as it becomes available. " Harry looked back at Severus.

"Have you told Katherine yet?"

"Not yet, I wanted to talk to you first, get your thoughts before I let her know." Severus looked embarrassed for a moment.

"I wanted to have at least some semblance of a plan as to how we are going to proceed so she knows."

Harry nodded in understanding and inwardly smiled. He knew Severus cared for the teen despite her occasional attitude. He liked having an apprentice. Harry gestured to a chair and followed Severus, sitting on the couch.

"We can delay the extradition process; Ron can help us there. He's gotten good at stonewalling and has already had some contact with the Americans. We can probably argue the hearing date; get some more time to get all the witnesses into place once we get the initial date. Can you get a hold of Headmaster Troyan?" Harry asked Severus.

"Certainly," Severus replied a little stiffly.

"Probably the most important thing is to make sure Katherine stays here as long as possible; we don't want them questioning her without one of us present. I'd say have bags ready to go just in case we have to get there on short notice. What about your teaching duties?"

"Arrangements can be made fairly quickly for a substitute."

Harry looked over towards the table when Ginny came through the door carrying plates. Teddy was right behind her, holding eating utensils and James toddled behind with some napkins clutched importantly in his small fists. Ginny was talking quietly to the boys as they all set the table.

"There does not seem to be a good time for this. If they proceed now, there is a chance it will run into the holidays which also means a chance that Katherine will miss end of term exams, though I could administer them myself. If we manage to postpone until after the holidays, the tension Katherine will feel in anticipation certainly will not allow her to enjoy the holidays. Either way this is not going to be good for her. She has finally settled in and is doing well" Severus said.

Harry just looked at him and then smiled slightly.

"What are you grinning at Potter?" Severus asked with a growl.

"Oh, nothing," Harry returned. "Just remembering what you were like and marveling at how far you've come," he teased. "I thought I heard something resembling compassion there" he continued, and ducked the smack Severus had aimed to the back of his head with a laugh.

"Watch yourself brat," Severus returned. "Remember I have just as many stories I could very easily pass on to young Mr. Lupin and any of your spawn that would have you blushing in embarrassment for the rest of your years and beyond."

Harry just snorted. "They already know most of them courtesy of Ron and Ginny anyway. Do your worst."

"As much as I enjoy this banter with you," Severus said, his tone going serious again, "I do want you to know that I, appreciate, your time and attention to this matter."

Harry stood up in response to Ginny's nod that dinner was ready.

"No thanks needed there," Harry said, just as serious. "I would have been upset had you gone to anyone else."

On that note, Harry and Severus made their way to the table.


	32. Breaking the News

**Chapter 32: Breaking the News**

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

It was nearly 9 before Severus returned from the Potter's. He had remembered to send a quick note to Minerva and his prefects to let them know he was going to be a later than he had intended, but, he still took the time to walk through the Slytherin common room as was his habit each evening. Since it was Friday, his house imposed curfew was extended for an extra hour for all years so the common room was unusually busy for the time. Students of all years were reading or entertaining themselves, most having set aside their studying for the night. End of term exams were only two weeks away but to a one, his snakes knew better than to disappoint him when it came to grades. Still, he did encourage relaxation, within reason, to keep from overloading.

The students acknowledged him with various greetings or solemn nods of the head. Just as they knew better than to disappoint him, they also knew they could come to him if they needed to. He often answered homework questions on these nightly walk-throughs or dealt with other problems that came up from time to time. He made his way up to the third year dormitory to check on Turell. While he seriously doubted the boy would willfully disobey his edicts, Severus often did these quick checks just to keep the students on their toes. After knocking once, Severus opened the door, expecting to find Turell working on the lines or essay. What he found was Turell playing Exploding Snap with Rollings. Both boys looked up; Rollings gave a greeting smile while Turell blanched a bit.

"Mr. Rollings," Severus said, neither his voice nor expression giving anything away, "would you excuse Mr Turell and I for a few minutes?"

"Of course Sir," the boy answered immediately, collecting up the cards and with a quick glance back at Turell, left the room.

Closing the door and implementing a silencing charm, Severus turned to the now decidedly nervous Turell.

"I have to say I am impressed," Severus said. "I take it that since you have time to play cards that you have completed both your lines and the essay I assigned. I will take them now to save you the trip down to my office" he added, as he held out his hand.

Turell flushed and dropped his gaze to the footboard of the bed and mumbled something Severus didn't quite catch.

"Look at me Mr Turell and clearly repeat what you just said instead of mumbling under your breath," Severus ordered, his voice going hard.

The boy sighed and looked up at Severus. "I said Sir that I haven't started on them yet."

"I see," said Severus. "Remind me again how many lines you were assigned and when they are due to me?"

"500 Sir," Turell answered quietly "by breakfast tomorrow."

"Seeing that it is now 9:30 pm, I would strongly suggest you get started. Since you chose to waste the better part of 4 hours, you may find yourself hard pressed to get those completed. Do I need to remind you what happens if those lines or essay are not completed on time?"

Turell flushed. "No Sir," he said. He knew full well from other students that failure to turn in on time any assignment given as punishment usually resulted in a trip over their head of house's knee in replacement of the missing assignment. He also knew the same assignment would still have to be completed and the length was often increased as a result.

"Then get started. Those lines are to be on my desk no later than 8am or you and I will be having a conversation at 8:01…am I clear?" Severus asked sternly.

"Yes Sir," Turell again answered, even as he stood up and made his way to his desk.

Severus waited until the boy had actually started writing before exiting the room, removing the silencing spell as he closed the dormitory door and made his way back to the common room.

Seeing that all was well, or as well as anyplace could be with so many teenagers about , he made his way back to his quarters. Once arriving, he sat down at his desk with a sigh, took out quill and parchment and penned a quick note to Master Troyan detailing out the process of the case and requesting Troyan's presence for the hearing. Foregoing the usual owl, he activated the floo and sent the missive directly. A charm on the floo on their side would automatically forward any flooed correspondence to the desk of the ever reliable Mrs. Kealy.

Severus sighed. Eventually he had to let Katherine know about the updates to the case and in truth, he wasn't looking forward to that conversation. She was still pretty rattled from the interview that had occurred a few days ago and while outwardly stoic, Severus knew his ward and apprentice well enough now to see the signs of distress. Would it hurt to wait a few days, wait until the date of the hearing was actually finalized? Wait to see if Harry could delay the extradition until a day or two prior to the hearing before telling her? No, he decided, better to tell her now. She was already down. Waiting until she as feeling better again would only make the news that much harder to hear. This way, he could deal with the upset now and work towards more positive feelings that she would need to sustain her through the end of the case and its results, whatever those might turn out to be. He would still give her the weekend to have fun with her friends; what he had to tell her could wait until Monday. By schedule, they had an apprentice progress review during the last 2 hours of classes anyway so he could give her the updates and still complete the progress review.

_Monday Afternoon_

Severus sat at the desk in his office going over sixth year essays. These were always much easier to grade as by the sixth year, the students had made the decision to work towards a N.E.W.T. in potions and paid more attention to the essays. He received actual answers to the essay topic instead of a lot of rambling words or paragraphs copied straight from the text as was the habit of the younger students. The other thing that made sixth year essays easy to grade was the fact that he only had nine N.E.W.T. students in the year. He glanced at the pocket watch lying open on his desk and noted that Katherine would be on her way down for their meeting.

Katherine made her way down to the potions lab. She had a two hour meeting coming up with Professor Snape in order to go through the apprentice progress review, why he needed it she didn't know since he knew exactly what she had been doing, but, he was strict about following procedure. She knew as well that he would be giving her the next six weeks or so worth of brewing assignments she needed to work on and complete prior to the next review.

Walking into the lab, Katherine made her way to the door that led to Severus' office and connected quarters. The office door was closed so Katherine knocked and waited until she was bid enter. Opening the door, she saw Severus getting up from his desk, a small pile of rolled essays sitting neatly on the edge. She smiled and greeted "good afternoon Sir."

"Good afternoon," he returned. "If you are ready go ahead and take a seat," he said, indicating the small table that sat in the corner. "I just need to get some notes, I'll be right back," he continued as he went through the door that led to his quarters.

Sitting down, Katherine pulled out her own notes for the last six weeks and waited for Severus' return. She glanced up as he came back in, watching silently while he sat in the chair opposite her and opened up a folder. She recognized the essays she had submitted along with other homework assignments, her grades and a list of the potions she had been required to brew. Some of the potions were checked, others weren't. She knew that some of those not checked were the ones she hadn't successfully completed. She had a feeling she was going to get a second crack at those and then some in the second half of the quarter.

"Normally," Severus started "the apprenticeship to which we both agreed requires quarterly progress reviews. These reviews are to assess your skill and knowledge growth, or lack thereof, and gives us a chance to discuss problems or concerns as well as to assign the next quarter's independent study work. My standard practice, however, is to do a mid-quarter review for the first quarter in order to make any changes that may be necessary since not all apprentice schedules work the same way for everyone. Your overall work in your general classes has been very good and I expect things to remain so," he added, with a mildly stern expression. "You have successfully completed 40% of the potions assigned for your independent study which is lower than I expected given your ability, but not entirely out of range for satisfactory work for this first six-week period and we can use it as a baseline for the next six weeks. I do and will continue to expect you to put forth your best efforts, ask questions when necessary and concentrate more on your studies in this area. While I realize you have been helping with the grading of essays and classes for the lower year levels, I will adjust that if it is taking time away from your independent study. I also realize that this case with the American Directorate has also divided your attention and I have taken that into account."

Here he paused and looked at Katherine expectantly.

"I can handle the grading," Katherine said almost defensively. "It doesn't take that much time really and helping in the classroom helps me work things out in my own brewing. I, uhm, admit I haven't put as much time as I probably could or should have into the independent side of things," she admitted sheepishly. "I'll do better in this last half of the quarter." she looked at him as she said it.

"OK, I will give you until the end of the quarter. If in that time your performance is lacking, from my point of view, we will re-adjust your grading and tutoring schedule if not remove it completely. Is that clear?"

"Yes Sir," she answered, dropping her gaze down. "I'm sorry I disappointed you."

Severus let out a breath and tipped up Katherine's chin. "Look at me," he said, his voice firm and waited until she complied.

"I am not…disappointed. It is the first quarter and I may have expected too much out of you based upon your actions at the Academy. Added in the problem of this legal case and it is not unusual that you might be having issues. All I ask is that instead of not completing something, or if you are having problems with a potion, to come tell me and ask for help. That is what I am here for."

"Yes Sir," she answered, not really sure of the statement needed an answer.

She watched as Severus pulled out several sheets of parchment from the folder.

"These first three sheets are your assignments for the next six weeks broken down as before; essays, general homework and potions to brew. The list of potions includes those you still need to complete and a few of the ones you failed to complete successfully. These sheets," he said as he laid them down, "are a test of sorts. This will give me an idea of where you stand from the first six weeks of material and will only be used as a baseline in order to see if I need to adjust our tutoring sessions at all. This will not be a graded test," he assured her, seeing her slight frown at the unexpected test. "You have 90 minutes to finish. Once that is completed we still have a few things to discuss. I will be in and out if something is not clear." Katherine sighed and nodded even as she drew the sheets to her. Taking out her quill and ink, which she still hated to use, she started.

90 minutes later Katherine was fuming. She had only been able to answer about 70% of the questions and even then she wasn't entirely comfortable with the answers. She knew some of the material hadn't been covered as yet but she was able to give partial answers just from exposure from Master Marconi and her few classes at the Academy. Others though, while the questions seemed familiar, she had been unable to even begin to answer. She was angry that Severus hadn't warned her about this little "test" and thought it very unfair. As such, when she walked into their shared quarters with the parchment in hand, her attitude wasn't the best.

"You could have warned me," she snapped as she thrust the parchment at him.

Severus lifted his brows at her attitude as he took the parchment from her. "It does little good to warn someone of a progress test that is meant to be used as a guide for further instruction if the person can study ahead of time; it would invalidate the results. Now, are you going to dispense with the attitude or do you need some time in the corner to pout?"

Katherine flushed in embarrassment. "No Sir," I just wasn't expecting a test and I couldn't answer everything."

"I didn't expect you to be able to answer everything," Severus said, his voice still mildly stern. "That wasn't the intent of the exercise." He waited a minute watching as Katherine started to squirm a bit in the heavy silence.

"Sit down, we still have an issue to discuss."

Katherine sat, her gaze somewhere around Severus' knee. She was too embarrassed to actually look at him just then.

"Let's try this again shall we?" Severus said. "I need your attention."

Katherine looked up and just waited.

"I received a missive from Agent Nelson," Severus started, nodding slightly at Katherine's sharpened gaze.

"The American Director is demanding a full hearing. As such, extradition arrangements are being demanded. I spoke with Auror Potter who is going to keep the process going for as long as possible and there seems to be support from Agent Nelson and his supervisor to delay the hearing. I am hopeful we can delay that until after the end of term."

"And if not?" Katherine asked behind gritted teeth. 'Damned gutless Director,' Katherine thought.

"Arrangements have already been made in the event we need to depart earlier than end-of-term. No matter the timing, you are not going alone. Auror Potter, Headmaster Troyan and I will all be accompanying you for as long as necessary to clear this matter. Auror Potter is very confident that given your interview under Veritaserum there is no question as to your innocence in this matter. It is only the," here Severus hesitated in order to find the proper word without saying what he really wanted to, "Director who wishes a more formal setting."

"You are being too kind, " Katherine countered, her eyes flashing. "He's a gutless bastard who has to make himself look like a victim all because he is too weak minded and stupid to find his left shoelace. How he ever made Director will forever remain a mystery."

"Language," Severus scolded mildly even though he agreed with her assessment of Michaels.

"So what now," Katherine shot back, though with a little less heat.

"All we can do right now is wait for Auror Potter to notify us. I would like you to pack a small bag, enough for a few days in any case, in the event we have to leave on short notice. Otherwise, we continue our normal schedules. "

"Terrific," Katherine muttered. "Are we through here, I need some air?"

"You may go," Severus said, standing even as Katherine stood. He put his hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him.

"I know this is frustrating but it will work out and you have people who are going to help that to happen."

"Yeah, I know," she muttered. "I have a test in Transfiguration tomorrow so some of us are going to the library to finish studying."

Severus just nodded and released her shoulder after giving it a brief squeeze. He closed the door after Katherine left and went back to his chair; "Damn you Michaels" he muttered.


	33. The Hearing is Set

_Authors Note: I do apologize for taking so long to update. The last semester had me climbing the walls and then the inevitable holidays crept in. Add in international travel for work at the same time and my brain was past fried :) As a slight recap, in the last chapter Director Michaels of the AIA decided that he wanted a full hearing for Katherine and Severus had the unenviable task of letting her know. Things will start moving a little faster here as I transition from background to the active portion in the US and Severus' renewed interaction with now Director Michaels. _

**Chapter 33: Hearing is Set**

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_**Content Warning: Reference to spanking in chapter.**_

_AIA: Friday: 8 am_

Agent Nelson walked into his office and shrugged off his coat, cursing the freezing rain that just added to the misery of the cold. It was the 5th of November but it already felt like late December. 'So much for the mild winter the forecasters were saying we were going to have' he thought.

He sipped at the coffee he had grabbed on the way into his office as he sat down and began to peruse the morning's memos that had gathered overnight. One of them was from his supervisor, Agent Zach Benson informing him that the law enforcement part of the Directorate had finally made up their minds about a hearing date in the Marks case' Thursday, 18 January, 8 am courtoom 5. The memo asked if he would notify the British Auror Office and the defendant. Approval had been given to allow the defendant to remain with her guardian in the time leading up to the hearing but that she needed to be present for processing and verification no later than Monday of the week of the hearing. Since there were no juvenile holding facilities at the Directorate, she would be remanded to a muggle juvenile facility pending her hearing.

"Snape isn't going to like that," Nelson muttered to himself and got up to talk to Zach.

After knocking and bid enter, Ben walked into Zach's office. The last time Ben had been in there the office had finally been cleared of the archived paperwork. Ben was surprised to see more stacks of folders and had to keep from chuckling at the look on Zach's face.

"Don't ask," Zach grumbled. "Damned paperwork. Why these idiots in admin can't pull up their own statistics numbers is beyond me."

"Uh, you got a minute?" Ben asked.

Zach sighed and laid down the pen he was holding. "Sure."

"It's about the Marks case. I'll send the notification but Snape is going to come unglued when he reads the part about having Marks remanded to a muggle juvenile facility."

Zach sighed again and rubbed his eyes. "I saw that too. We have to make the assumption it is not negotiable but I am working with the LE office to try and convince them to let us set up a safe house instead if we can guarantee that Ms Marks will remain on tracking and will be supervised. So far they have said they would consider it but haven't gotten back to me yet with a definitive answer. We can't delay letting Ms Marks and her guardian know of the hearing date. Send the memo but don't mention the possibility of a safe house. They will probably argue it anyway and that may give me more fuel to get the LE office to agree to my proposal."

"Should I send the howler to you when it gets here?" Ben asked with a smile in his voice.

"Go ahead. I already agree with the argument they are probably going to send. Just make sure to check it for any nasty curses and neutralize them before you bring it in here."

"You're all heart Zach," Ben said good naturedly. "Have fun with the stats," he tossed over his shoulder as he walked out and shut the door, laughing when he heard a light 'thunk' as whatever Zach threw at him hit the door. 'Probably his paperweight again' Ben thought. It wouldn't be the first time.

Going into his office, he checked the time and sat down to write out the notification. "Snape is not going to be happy" he muttered again.

_Hogwarts: 4 PM_

Severus sat at his deck in the classroom watching over his fifth year Gryffindor/Slytherin class as they took a preliminary OWL exam. He had warned them at the start of term that the test would be similar to the exam they would take at the end of the school year and would give them an idea what to expect. Being Severus, however, he said the exam would count on their final term grades. They didn't need to know that he only counted the exam as a very minimal part of their overall grade; this was more an assessment exam. He loved torturing his students.

When the end of the double period was sounded, Severus stood.

"Quills down and leave your exams on my desk as you leave. Dismissed."

His announcement was met with some groans, some mild swearing and very few smiles which didn't bode well for his students' level of confidence. Still, Severus usually only had a few failures on this particular exam but remembering back to his own exams, he could understand the trepidation.

Gathering up the rolls of parchment, he took them into his office and dropped them in the center of his desk. He would start the arduous task of grading them later that evening. Katherine was scheduled for a brewing session after supper and the particular potion was rather complicated; he wanted to be close by in case she needed help. Her temper had been short fused lately and he had already had to warn her once that if she wasn't able to pay attention, to come to him and they would modify the schedule. Most of the potions she was working on, while within 7th year NEWT level, could be volatile at certain times of the brewing process and attention to detail and a focused mind was paramount not only for a correct end result but for safety as well.

As he stepped into his quarters he was met by Fawkes who was holding a letter. Severus walked over and gently took the letter from him, handed him a slice of apple that had been left for him, as was habit when classes ended each day, and turned even as Fawkes flashed out of the room. He frowned a little as he saw the American Directorate seal and opened the missive.

_Ministry: 5 PM_

Harry was packing up his briefcase in anticipation of heading home. Hermione , Ron and the kids were on tap for dinner and both Ginny and Hermione had threatened death if Ron and Harry were late getting home for any reason other than a dire emergency. He nearly ran into Ron's knuckles as he opened the door just as Ron was about to knock. "Oops, sorry mate," Ron grinned.

"Ready to go?" Harry asked.

"Sure, but, I think you need to see this first," Ron held up a letter. Frowning slightly, Harry dropped his briefcase onto the floor and took the letter "it's from the American Directorate; just came through," Ron said.

Harry opened the letter and scanning it, swore softly.

"It says here the date of the hearing for the Marks case has been set for 18 January. No big deal there but it also says that Ms Marks will have to be available for processing by 15 January and that she will be required to be confined to a muggle juvenile facility through the date of the hearing. Severus is going to explode," Harry said grimly. "It says here that Severus was also sent notification."

"Since we don't have notification from him as yet he either hasn't read it yet or given the time has sent a message to the house. We'd better go."

"I need to go home for a few minutes and then I'll be over. Hermione said she was going over a little early to help Ginny out so she is probably already there with the kids."

Harry nodded as he picked up his briefcase, closed his door and made his way, with Ron, to the lift, riding down to the main apparition point. "See you in a few," Harry said, as he disapparated.

_Godric's Hallow_

It was raining when Harry appeared just outside the house. It was a cold and miserable rain, enough to set people's teeth on edge with little provocation. He was glad it was Friday and just hoped tempers stayed as cool as the temps and he would have a quiet weekend; for once.

Walking into the house he was surprised when no one was in the foyer waiting on him. Usually James and Teddy were waiting for him to regale him with the events of the day. He waited a moment hearing voices and smiled, 'ah,' he thought, 'company is here which means cousins to play with and dear old dad had to wait his turn.'

He walked quietly down to his study and dropped off his briefcase, then took a moment in his and Ginny's room to change out of his work robes and into something more comfortable and appropriate for a relaxing evening. A warm jumper, one of Molly's creations, and his favorite jeans and he was transformed from Auror Potter into plain old Harry.

Walking back towards the noise in the kitchen, 'why is it women always gather in the kitchen,' he mused, he heard the sound of apparition and changed course and headed to the door, making the assumption it was Ron. He once again opened the door before the person could knock and found Ron on the doorstep.

Harry stepped back in a gesture for Ron to step inside before shutting the door.

"I hate winter," Ron grumbled. "It can't be snow, has to be this bloody rain," he continued to grouse as Harry took his wet cloak and hung it near the door.

"Women are in the kitchen presumably with the kids. I don't even know if they are aware I even got home as yet," Harry grinned as he walked towards the kitchen, Ron following behind. Opening the door, all conversation stopped and the two men were inundated with kids of various sizes. Harry had to laugh as Teddy and James first went to Ron and Rose crawled over to Harry. Al was waving his hands and grinning at Harry, kicking his feet and bouncing in his playpen in his enthusiasm.

Harry swung Rose up into his arms and gave her a loud kiss on the cheek, sending her into giggles, and walking over to Al, used his fingers to tickle a bit as he repeated his kiss on the baby.

Just as he turned to greet Ginny, Teddy and James suddenly figured out who else they had yet to greet and ran over to Harry to get their hugs.

_Hogwarts_

Severus took a break from grading the exams and stepped in to the lab to check on Katherine's progress just as she swore and shoved the cauldron in front of her. Unfortunately, she put just enough force behind it that the cauldron tipped on its side and the hot liquid spilled out. Severus' glance caught some of the ingredients still on the table and his eyes widened even as he pulled his wand, "get back" he yelled and conjured a shield between Katherine and the desk that just managed to solidify, when there was a flash of fire that rolled up into the air like a ball, and would have severely injured Katherine had the shield not been in place.

There was absolute silence in the lab after the fire ball disintegrated and Severus banished the shield. Katherine was ghost white and shaking as Severs came up to her. He looked at her briefly, verifying she was unharmed, and then let her have the full blast of his temper, one aided by relief turned to anger over her still standing there in one piece.

"Give me one good reason young lady, JUST one, why I shouldn't put you over that desk and make sitting easy a very distant and pleasant memory," he gritted out. "I seem to remember discussing this habit you have of sweeping the desk every time something does not go your way when brewing. No matter my warnings and lectures you never seem to realize the inherent danger in some of these potions. Tell me, what was it that caused that fireball that nearly incinerated you?" he asked sternly, his voice cold and hard.

Still shaking, both from the near miss and her guardian's fury, Katherine didn't answer immediately and when she did, her voice shook.

"I-I was supposed to add Ginseng powder, then remove the heat and add the q-quills. I-I added Valerian Root powder in place of the Ginseng by mistake. The liquid that resulted must have reacted with the ginseng s-still on the desk," she finished, even as she closed her eyes in an attempt to balance her nerves.

"In other words," Severus continued sternly, "you failed to pay attention to what you were doing and going on the ingredients that were not destroyed, you were also not organized. You let your temper get the better of you and nearly killed yourself in the process!" He heard his voice rising and took a calming breath.

"I am not going to deal with this now. Give me your wand," he ordered, holding out his hand and nearly snatching it as she held it out.

"Get this mess cleaned up and then you will spend the rest of the night in your room. Maybe it will give you some time to think about how you are going to control that temper. I am not yet sure if there will be more."

On that note, he turned on his heel and walked back into his office leaving Katherine to clean up the lab.

He sat at his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose as was his habit whenever he was angry or upset. It had been close, way too close. He was used to students blowing up or melting cauldrons but Katherine was working with items that could interact in the most damaging ways if brewed incorrectly. Had he trusted her too much? Had he underestimated her abilities?

Still pondering, his attention turned a bit towards the letter he had received from the AIA. Taking out his quill, he penned a quick letter to Harry then walked out to go to the owlery.

_Godrics Hollow_

Dinner was finished and the girls had mutinied, handing over the cleaning up to the boys. While Ginny and Hermione were relaxing in the living room, or relaxing as much as they could with 5 children about, Harry and Ron were washing dishes. Still, this wasn't so much a chore. A few waves of wands and the dishes washed themselves, food put itself away and counters and tabletops were wiped clean. Just as Harry and Ron were turning to go out and join the laughing going on in the living room, Harry spotted Severus' owl. Opening the window, he waited until the owl landed gently on Hedwig's perch before stepping over and untying the missive from the owl's leg. Opening it and reading it quickly, he handed the note to Ron.

"_Potter, received note from AD. Dates indicated are acceptable, however, the conditions of confinement are not. I intend to notify the ADA that unless or until they have proof of guilt, I will not allow my ward to be imprisoned in a muggle facility. They will either accommodate or they will have to satisfy themselves with our arrival early on the date of the hearing for any 'processing' they need to do; my ward will not be out of my sight."_

_SS_

Running his finger gently down the bird's back, he dropped some apple slices into Hedwig's treat bowl. "Help yourself while I write out a response" he told the owl who hooted and siddled over, snatching at one of the apple slices.

Ron whistled low. "The AIA isn't going to like his response," Ron said, waving the letter slightly.

"Somehow I don't think Severus cares too much about what the AIA likes," Harry said grimly, walking out the kitchen door that led to the hallway and leading the way to his study, Ron trailing behind. Harry sat at his desk, pulled out parchment and quill and made out two responses. One to the AIA echoing Severus' words, albeit with a little less heat, and one back to Severus informing him not to worry that Harry would work on it and let him know. Once he finished, Harry took the letters back to the waiting owl.

"Ok, back to Severus," he told the bird, handing the letter to him and then carrying him over to the window Ron had opened. "Safe flight," Harry intoned as the bird gave a muffled 'meep' around the envelope and launched himself gently from Harry's arm.

Having already made arrangements at the floo network office, Harry walked over to his kitchen fireplace. Tossing in floo powder, he called out, "AIA Agent Nelson" and tossed the letter into the green flames. He looked back at Ron and the grim expression he was wearing. Harry sighed.

"OK, time to join the masses," Harry said with a small smile as he turned to the door that led out into the living area.

_Hogwarts 8 PM_

The night had been quiet and Severus was sitting in his favorite chair by the fire, engrossed in the new potions journal that had arrived the day before. He had made sure to send Carly with dinner for Katherine but had otherwise left her to her contemplation of the afternoon's incident. He had also made the decision not to add additional consequences as he thought the scare alone of nearly being incinerated would haunt her more than anything he could come up with.

He glanced up as Carly apparated into the room.

"Are you needing anything Master Snape," the elf said. "No, thank you," Severus responded. "Did you bring dinner to my ward?"

"I did Sir," the elf responded and went on, "but Miss Katherine didn't eat, said she wasn't hungry and asked Carly to take it away. I just checked with her and she still didn't want anything."

Severus sighed; he'd have to check on her. He had realized he had left a veiled threat hanging over her head, something he tried never to do though at times circumstances and location had made the delay necessary. He found the fear of possible punishment did much more harm than immediate consequences and in most cases he had found that the effects of the delayed punishment rarely worked to curb the poor behavior it was meant to correct.

"Thank you Carly" Severus said to the little elf as he stood up and made his way towards Katherine's room. "Please have a tea tray made up and then you may retire."

"Right away Sir," the elf beamed, happy to yet again be of service.

Severus knocked lightly on the closed door to Katherine's room and opened it when he heard a soft 'come in' from the other side. Severus stood just inside the door for a moment, glancing over towards Katherine was sitting with her arms wrapped around drawn up knees. She was sitting on the window seat that sat below a window charmed to show the grounds. The window was nearly completely dark with patches of frost forming here and there. She turned her head as Severus came in, immediately standing up as he started to move towards her.

Severus' keen eyes moved over her. She was dressed in her night clothes, face pale and feet bare and he could see her shivering slightly in the chill. Rolling his eyes, he took out his wand and cast a warming charm on her then turning to add a log to the fire which caused it to blaze, sending a wave of warmth into the room.

"Slippers and robe then we'll talk in the sitting room," he said to her waiting as she put on the requested items and then gestured her towards the door. She followed him silently, sitting on the couch even as he took up his favorite chair. Katherine automatically began preparing the two cups of tea, setting Severus' down in front of him. Sitting back with the warm cup cradled in her hands she took a sip and just waited, eyes focused on the table.

Severus just looked at her not speaking. Her dark hair had fallen forward hiding her face but he could see the tension in her in the way she sat on the edge of the couch and the slightly hunched shoulders as though trying to protect herself from some unknown menace.

"Look at me please," Severus said finally, his voice level and waited until her eyes came up though she still gripped her cup tightly in her hands.

"We both know what happened today and I trust the action will not be repeated. If it is you will find yourself in more trouble than you can imagine," here he stopped and not sure if there was something to acknowledge, Katherine gave a quiet "yes Sir." "As such," he went on, "I consider this incident over and done with and trust the experience of nearly incinerating yourself is sufficient to remind you to keep your attention on what you are doing."

"Yes Sir," she responded, again dropping her eyes, sighing and taking another sip from the cup, though Severus did note she had relaxed slightly. Still, she seemed to be projecting an air of dejection and he realized he could sympathize a bit as he had been in a similar position many years before, though Master Troyan had not been quite so forgiving.

_Flashback: Kepler Academy_

_Severus was steaming. Michaels had been at him all week with little hits here and there; nothing overly obnoxious but more irritating in nature. Unfortunately, Michaels had decided to play one of his never funny pranks on Severus on a day where Severus had done less than his usual perfect on a particular assignment. He'd been angry at the grade but moreso angry and frustrated with himself, and Michaels' timing couldn't have been worse. Still, remembering Master Troyan's more than stern warning about getting into any physical confrontation, otherwise called a fight, Severus had gritted his teeth and walked to the lab where he was planning on working on his term brewing assignment. Even as a first level student, Master Troyan had begun to see his ability to work modifications into a potion. The term assignment wasn't so much the successful brewing of any number of potions that most apprentices were given, but more a chance to look at modifications and enhancements to improve basic potions. It meant experimenting with possibly dangerous combinations of ingredients but as long as he remembered the reactions of various ingredients when they came into contact with each other, he wasn't worried. _

_Opening up the lab, he set his bag down, opened it and took out his notebook he had been using to chart the progress of his experimentation. He had to admit his writing had gotten much better than his usual scrawl as Master Troyan, wanting to see the notes of his progress, had made him recopy the entire contents of the notebook when he was unable to read Severus' quickly dashed note and even Severus had hesitated a time or two over trying to decipher some of the words._

"_It won't do you any good to write things down when you can't even read your own handwriting," Master Troyan had said. "Especially when working with enhancements, or even with creating a new potion, your notes and progress must be clearly legible so you may access them quickly in case of a problem. You are to recopy all of these notes. If you wish to use a working ledger that is fine, however, you will need to copy your working notes back into a final, neat, organized and most of all legible, book."_

_Running a finger down the latest experiment, he came to the point where the last potion had gone bad. By his estimation, at the point of failure at step 9, the potion should have turned an iridescent yellow when in fact, it had turned dark red. He set up his cauldron and set the water to heat intending to recreate the potion to the step prior to the point of failure but due to his ongoing agitation with Michaels, he wasn't being as careful in cutting up the necessary ingredients or as careful in making sure the ingredients known to react badly with each other were kept well distant. He was unpleasantly surprised when in the third simple step, the contents of the cauldron suddenly burst into flame nearly burning Severus who had instinctively jumped back. Quickly dousing the flame both in and under the cauldron, a wave of pure fury rose up and caused Severus to knock the cauldron, his notebook and remaining ingredients onto the floor, where, unfortunately, the reactive ingredients did just what they were supposed to do and incinerated not only his notes, but blackened the floor and a portion of the lab tables in the general area. Once again putting out the flame Severus just gaped, open mouthed and then started when he felt a heavy hand fall onto his shoulder. With a sinking feeling he turned around and actually took a step back at the look on Master Troyan's face. _

"_If I deal with this now," Master Troyan had gritted out, "you wouldn't sit for at LEAST a week. Get this mess cleaned up and then report to my study. Once there we will discuss the consequences for this absolutely unacceptable behavior but at a minimum you are going to sit and recreate your notes, I trust you still have your working copy?" he said, not saying anything as Severus just nodded, "and once completed then write out what went wrong, your conclusions and the reason behind this absolutely unacceptable action with a length of at least 4 feet. Once all of that is completed, I will check the notebook and the essay and they had better be acceptable. Get to work," he finished sternly, giving Severus a slight push towards the mess on the floor on the lab._

_Not wasting a second, Severus had pulled on his safety gloves and knelt to start picking up what was left of the cauldron. Master Troyan stood over him, glowering for a minute, before turning on his heel and walking out. Severus finally took a long breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He was in trouble and he knew it. This wasn't the first time he had done this; though in that particular incident Severus had just been frustrated with a particularly stubborn potion. While Master Troyan had been, upset, that first time, he had let it go with a stern warning against the same action being repeated and had warned of dire consequences, the least of which would be the inability to sit for a long while, if it SHOULD occur again. Shuttering his mind from his pending doom at Master Troyan's hands, he turned his attention to the task of cleaning up and repairing the lab tables._

_A couple of hours later Severus knocked quietly on the closed door to Master Troyan's study and taking a deep breath, opened it and walked in at the brusque 'enter', closing the door quietly behind him. He advanced into the room trying his best to appear unconcerned, which immediately vanished as Master Troyan looked up and met his gaze. While calmer, the man was still very upset with his apprentice and Severus dropped his gaze, suddenly very ashamed and swallowing hard at the lump that had appeared in his throat. He didn't sit in the chair that always sat in front of Master Troyan's desk, his ingrained manners never allowing him to do so unless invited first. Besides, considering he was probably going to be bending over that desk in short order, it would just save time and energy._

"_Look at me," Troyan said sternly, watching as Severus jerked up his gaze, noting the pale and shamed face. "Explain," he said sternly. Haltingly, but in a clear voice, Severus explained about Michaels and the assignment and admitted his lack of focus while brewing. He paused a moment to take a deep breath. "When the potion went bad at just the third step I was so angry, at Michaels and at the potion, and frustrate, I just reacted. I'm sorry Master," Severus finished miserably, dropping his gaze again to the top of the desk and just waiting._

_Troyan looked at him and inwardly sighed. Severus was one of the most brilliant apprentices he had ever had and well beyond the level of the other apprentices at the same age and experience. The problem was that Troyan still hadn't figured out how to get this brilliant student to accept simple failure. To Severus, anything less than perfect was a failure and unacceptable in his mind and unfortunately, the feeling of failure tended to manifest itself into anger. The enhancement and modification assignment he had given Severus was designed to help with that attitude as researching modifications and enhancements were going to lead to failure until the correct process was determined. While Troyan could accept anger to a certain degree, he couldn't accept the inability to control that anger in a less dangerous fashion. He had spoken with Severus at length about it after the first incident and even afterwards whenever he saw Severus' frustration and anger starting to build, yet, despite some improvement; it was obvious he still had work to do. _

"_Ok, look at me Severus," he said, allowing his voice to soften just a little. Once he had Severus' attention he went on. "I am going to speak with Master Mercado about Michaels as you are not the first to have issues with him. While I can understand the anger to a point, what I cannot condone is the response. We have spoken about this before. What should you have done?" he asked Severus, his voice firm._

_Severus sighed. "I guess I should have put off brewing until I had calmed down" he said but went on in a slightly defensive tone "but it is normally brewing that calms me down", wincing a little at the whine he could hear in his own voice and the look on Master Troyan's face. "Or," Severus went on after a deep breath, "I guess I could have come to you."_

"_Exactly," Troyan said "so it begs the question that if you knew what you should have done, why instead did you choose to brew in a less than calm state causing a situation where you put yourself in danger and could very well have caused yourself injury?" he said, his voice going horribly stern again._

_Severus just swallowed unable to speak. He knew the answer, as weak as it was. "I wasn't thinking, just reacting" he finally said miserably, again dropping his gaze._

_Troyan rolled his eyes, 'save me from apprentices' he thought to himself._

_Without saying a word, he walked over to the cabinet in which he kept his teaching robes, opened it and pulled out the leather paddle. Severus glanced up and winced. He had known it was coming, as he had been well warned the last time, but the memory of his very first meeting with that paddle at the beginning of the last term was still very vivid. Scowling slightly, he realized it had been Michaels' fault THAT time as well. He glanced up again as Master Troyan came into his view, unfortunately on his side of the desk, and watched as Master Troyan moved the chair to the side and then gestured to the top of the desk._

_Severus sighed again and stepped forward, laying over the top of the desk and automatically lifting his robes. He faced forward, his hands clenched on the opposite edge and he started again when he felt Master Troyan's hand rest lightly on his back. The lump in his throat grew larger._

"_I want you to understand the reason for this," Troyan said, his voice firm, patting Severus' back gently. "I am not doing this due to your problems with Michaels or even because you caused the mess in the lab but due to the fact that you placed yourself in unnecessary danger because you couldn't control that temper of yours long enough to think about what you were doing. Since it is obvious the last lecture didn't take hold, maybe this will help."_

_Glancing over his shoulder, Severus gathered his courage a bit. "When you go to talk to Master Mercado, can you hand him that paddle with a suggestion for where it might be of best use?"_

_Troyan chuckled, patting Severus' shoulder, then, stepping back, he positioned himself. Severus turned his face forward again, and held his breath._

_End Flashback_

Severus grimaced slightly at the memory. Master Troyan had gone on to warm his backside with single minded intent but had offered up the customary consoling hand until Severus had managed to get a hold of his tears. Of course, and here Severus snorted to himself, Master Troyan had then planted him in the desk chair, padded thankfully, and had him re-write his notes and that damnable essay. That episode hadn't been his last acquaintance with that paddle but he had never, and still didn't, respect anyone more than his old Master. They had spoken at length, again, and as promised, Master Troyan had spoken with Master Mercado, but, whatever Master Mercado had said to Michaels, if he had even spoken with him, hadn't really worked. Michaels was still prone to pranking anyone and everyone but he did limit the number of attacks on Severus after that. He turned his attention back to Katherine.

"There is one more thing we need to talk about," he told her. "I received a letter from Agent Nelson, the same, or very similar letter, being sent to Auror Potter. The American Directorate has set your hearing date to the 18th of January. They have, requested," Severus snorted in derision "that we arrive by the 15th of January for some preliminary processing. While the schedule is not an issue, they want to remand you to a muggle juvenile facility." He glanced at Katherine who, if possible, went even paler. "I have already sent a letter to Auror Potter indicating that this is unacceptable. Unless they can make alternative arrangements we will not arrive until the date of the hearing regardless of their need for _processing._"Keeping her gaze he added; "I will not allow you to be separated from me or Auror Potter."

Katherine just nodded and Severus put his hand on her shoulder squeezing gently. "I know it may be useless to tell you not to worry but I will anyway. Auror Potter and I will get things worked out." Katherine didn't answer but again just nodded.

"Now," Severus said brusquely, standing up and pulling Katherine up as well. He put his arms around her in a gentle hug patting her back as she relaxed a bit and rested her head on his chest. "You still have an appointment with your room for the rest of the evening to think on how you are going to control that temper in the future. I am going to have Carly bring you a snack; I want you to eat" he finished, feeling a nod and hearing a muffled "yes Sir" from the vicinity of his shoulder. He let her go when she stepped back and turned to head back to her room. "Don't stay up too late," he said after her. "Yes Dad," she responded with some semblance of her old cheek, and Severus chuckled.


	34. Almost Time for the Holidays

Chapter 34: Almost Time for the Holidays

**CHAPTER WARNING: Contains spanking.**

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

_Hogwarts_

Severus took yet another walk around his classroom making sure his first-year Slytherin and Gryffindor students were well aware that he was watching as they took their end of term exam. It was Friday and in exactly 30 minutes the first term would end. The students were scheduled to either board the Hogwart's Express to head home for the two week break or to head to Gryffindor Tower if they were one of the five students remaining at Hogwarts until the start of the following term. Severus smiled inwardly. Given that Katherine was facing the hearing after the break, Albus had graciously allowed Severus to skip his turn at babysitting duty and he and Katherine would be headed for Spinners End in the morning, once Severus completed his end of term requirements. He for one couldn't wait..the last two weeks had been rife with house issues and he while he cared about his students, he was tired of acting the stern disciplinarian and was hoping for a fresh start in the new term. This was standard practice for him. The issues form the previous term were over and done with as soon as the term ended and all of his snakes would start the new term on fresh ground; the slate clean. Thinking on this, his gaze swung towards the last table in the back where McCuithbert was busily scratching away. While startng out term quiet and timid the small boy had grown a spine somewhere. Unfortunately, that spine had also managed to get the boy in trouble with not only Severus but a few of the other teachers as well, earning the boy quite a few detentions and just recently, his first experience over Severus' knee.

_Flashback_

_It was the last Hogsmeade weekend for the term. The intent was to give the older students a chance to unwind a bit before having to go back to studying for end of term exams. As was his habit on the weekends he made a pass through the Slytherin common room, answering questions or clarifying points. He always used this final Hogsmeade weekend to have the younger students form study groups, requiring them to meet for at least three hours each day of the weekend. He had found through his many years as a teacher that his younger students were often the ones that put off studying for exams until the last second and he had implemented this rule a few years back after a particularly bad showing from his second years. The grades had improved immensely and despite the grumbling and complaining from his students, subtle as it was, he saw no reason to change his edict. Each group was required to submit a schedule indicating when they were meeting and who was in the group. Glancing over at a group of first years huddled around the table, he mentally went over today's group schedule as he identified the students, McMillan, Andrews, Stewart, Grant, Davis… Frowning slightly he looked again and realized McCuithbert was missing. Making his way over he cleared his throat to announce his presence and addressed the group as a whole. "Good morning," he said pleasantly enough, isn't Mr McCuithbert supposed to be with this group?"_

"_He told me he was heading to the library to catch up on some other work and to check some information on the Kidney Root; he said he probably wouldn't be back until the last hour or so " Davis answered. _

_Severus nodded. "Thank you Miss Davis. Please have him report to me when he returns," and then after receiving the expected 'Yes Sir' from the girl, he made his way out of the common room. Severus hesitated a moment and then turned, making his way to the main staircase and heading up to the library. Something nagged at him but he would check the library and see what problems McCuithbert was having. The boy had recently completed a very good essay on a fever decoction which used the root in question so it didn't make sense that he would have questions._

_He walked into the well-guarded domain of Madame Pince, giving a nod in the older witch's direction even as he scanned the occupied tables. There were a few students quietly reading and taking notes, two from Ravenclaw and four from Hufflepuff; no Slytherins or Gryffindors he noted wryly, and no sign of McCuithbert. Walking quickly across the aisles of lovingly tended and dusted books, he found no sign of the boy. Walking back to Madame Pince he spoke very quietly, knowing better than to use his normal voice for fear of inciting Madame Pince's wrath. Truth be told, she still scared the hades out of him._

"_Have you seen Mr McCuithbert," he said very quietly, quietly gritting his teeth when the old witch simply shook her head. "If he shows up here, please have him report to my office immediately." _

_At Madame Pince's wordless nod that set his teeth on edge again, he nodded respectfully and walked out. The castle was large, no doubt about it and McCuithbert could be anywhere inside. Still, there was an easy way to check._

_Walking back to his quarters he opened the door and walked to the blank wall to the right of the fireplace. Taking out his wand he tapped the wall twice while intoning 'Slytherin Status." Squiggly black lines appeared and spread, forming a chart. Each student was listed alphabetically with year and location indicated and none of his snakes knew of the existence of this chart. Names in green indicated students were on the school grounds and their location; those in red indicated a student was off the grounds, the time they left the castle wards and their location. Glancing down the chart he noted most of the third, fourth and sixth year students were at Hogsmeade, including Katherine, while most of the fifth and seventh year students were inside the castle or at least on school grounds. Looking down the list, McCuithbert's name was written in red with the word Hogsmeade written in for location and he had crossed outside the castle wards at 9:48 AM. A first year who knew full well he wasn't allowed off grounds unless accompanied by a teacher or parent and a first year who was supposed to be here in his study group by Severus' order. Seething Severus waved his wand and the chart vanished, 'what to do' he thought to himself. Go to Hogsmeade and haul the brat back by his earlobe or wait until the boy showed up on his own. Glancing at the clock it just coming to noon; the student curfew to return from Hogsmeade wasn't until 7 PM.  
_

_He sighed, he had no choice. A walk to Hogsmeade today wasn't what he had planned and McCuithbert would regret that inconvenience. The boy had better hope Severus located him quickly. Forming his patronus even as he grabbed his cloak, tossed it around his shoulders and strode out of his quarters, he sent a quick message to Minerva letting her know where he was going and to request she check on the Slytherin students if he wasn't back in two hours. Just as he turned the corner to make his way to the large front doors they opened to show McCuithbert coming in, his cheeks red from the cold and a bag from Honeydukes in his hand. The boy had come in and was looking side to side while sliding the offending bag into his cloak pocket, and hadn't as yet noticed his head of house. Severus grimly crossed his arms and just waited._

_McCuithbert smiled. He had gotten away with it. Sneaking out had been easy. He had simply waited until the older students were a good distance ahead and wouldn't notice him and had followed them into the village. Granted they had seen him then and asked why he was off school grounds but he had simply told them his mother had brought him and he was a just waiting for her to come out of this or that shop. Even in Honeydukes his presence had been questioned but it was just as easy to say his mother was waiting for him outside. Once he got back on the grounds he was safe; it wasn't required for students to remain INSIDE the castle; they could come and go as they pleased as long as they didn't leave the grounds so the older students who knew him didn't question him being outside. He smiled again as he looked to his right but didn't see the figure in black in front of him until he turned his head and ran in to it; then he swallowed…hard. Imposing anyway, his head of house looked even more fierce with his arms crossed like that and frowning at his student. McCuithbert knew he was probably in a little trouble for not being in his study group, Snape had the schedule of every student memorized, but, there was no way Snape could know he had left the grounds._

"_Mr McCuithbert," he said quietly, which should have warned the boy, "would you care to tell me just where you are supposed to be right now and where you have been?"_

_McCuithbert shrugged, making Severus' temper rise a degree. "Just wanted to get some air; it was stuffy in the common room."_

"_I was just in the common room and spoke with Miss Davis who said you went to the library," Severus said, a stern note making its way into his voice._

"_I did got to the library and then went outside for a few minutes, " McCuithbert went on, bravely meeting Severus' eyes, "I was just on my way back."_

"_I see," Severus said. "What did you pick up outside?"_

"_Sir?" the boy said in confusion, his palms stating to sweat the least bit._

_Severus gestured towards the boy's pocket. "You have a bulge there, what did you pick up?"_

"_Oh," McCuithbert said, trying to think quickly. "Uhm, just some Valerian root I found. I thought you could use it."_

_Severus nearly laughed; the little fiend was doing well actually. Valerian was one of the only roots he could collect in the winter but it was hard to locate._

"_I do appreciate the thought Mr McCuithbert," Severus said, holding out his hand. "If you let me have it you can go back to your study group, however, you are to return to your dormitory immediately afterwards and remain there for the rest of the day for not being where you are supposed to be."_

_McCuithbert paled, he was caught and he knew it._

"_Give me the bag," Severus ordered, his voice hard and stern, all pretense gone._

_Reaching into his pocket McCuithbert took out the bag and placed it in Severus' waiting hand, his own shaking, his eyes fixed on the floor. _

_Severus grabbed McCuithbert's upper arm in a firm grip and began making his way back to his quarters, ignoring the sniffling he could hear coming from a child who knew they were in deep trouble. He remained silent during the long walk and after opening the door to his office he gently but firmly ushered the boy inside, stepped in himself and closed the door behind him with a decidedly stern thump. Other than taking a couple of steps away from the door McCuithbert hadn't moved and was staring at the floor, his hands clasped in front of him than in back, as though unsure what he should do with them. Finally the boy decided to simply let his arms hang. _

"_Give me your cloak," he ordered McCuithbert, taking it from him. He took off his own cloak and hung them both near the door._

_Severus remained silent as he went behind his desk and retrieved the chair, bringing it around the desk and setting it on the floor just in front of the desk. Sitting down Severus took a deep breath._

"_Come here," he said sternly and wasn't surprised when McCuithbert hesitated; he could see the boy trembling. Deciding to be patient, why he didn't know, he waited until McCuithbert gathered his courage and took the few halting steps to get within reach of Severus. Taking the boy by both arms, Severus guided him in between his slightly spread knees._

"_Look at me," Severus ordered._

_Swallowing hard McCuithbert raised his eyes and winced at the look on Severus' face. Severus didn't make him wait._

"_I am appalled at your behavior today. You know full well you are not allowed off school grounds and not only do you break that restriction but you go into Hogsmeade, also off limit to students without permission, you ignore your ordered and scheduled study group and then you have the audacity to lie to my face not once but twice. Since I was the one that quoted those rules on your very first night in Slytherin, there is absolutely no excuse for breaking those rules which makes this willful disobedience."_

" '_m s-sorry S-sir," the boy stammered, the tears that had dried up a bit making their way down the boy's cheeks again. Severus snorted. "Are you sorry for your behavior," Severus questioned, "or just sorry you got caught. You certainly didn't look worried when you walked back in to the castle just now. In fact, you looked pretty pleased with yourself."_

_Knowing there was no correct answer to that statement that would get him out of trouble, in fact trying to answer it was just as likely to get him into MORE trouble, the boy remained silent._

_Severus took another breath and let it out, observing the boy who had once again dropped his gaze to the floor. The silence was deafening._

"_Do you recall what the consequence was for willful disobedience or lying?" _

_McCuithbert gave a short nod, hunching his shoulders a bit in defense of what he knew was coming._

"_I asked a question and I expect an answer young man," Severus went on. "What is the consequence for willful disobedience and lying?"_

_The boy stammered his answer so quietly Severus barely heard him; " 'ou said s-s-spanking Sir," the boy finally got out, turning red in embarrassment at having to utter the word._

"_Almost correct," Severus acknowledge, "what else?"_

_Turning even redder the boy took in a deep breath and gave in. "You said a spanking with our pants down and with a ruler, at the very least."_

"_Since you remember the consequence it begs the question of why you would put yourself in the position to reap that consequence. I can only hope that actually having to experience that consequence that it will help you remember the rules. Pants down and over my knee," Severus finished with a stern note, guiding the boy to his right side. He waited as McCuithbert fumbled to get the snap of his jeans undone and then succeeded and slowly lowered his jeans and underpants down a little ways, still blushing madly though the long woolen jumper he was wearing more than protected his modesty. With a last pleading glance at Severus, he sighed and slowly lowered himself down._

_Severus laid his hand in the middle of the boy's back for a second and then wrapped his arm around the boy's waist holding him securely in place. Raising his hand he brought it down sharply on the crest of the small bottom and heard an accompanying yelp, more of surprise than actual pain, though that was likely to change._

_Severus smacked firmly but was well aware of the boy's size and emotion status. The idea was to make a very sharp and clear point and to make the child fear punishment but not Severus. At times it could be a fine line._

_A half dozen smacks and the boy was starting to wriggle and yelp at each contact Severus' hand made with his bottom and after just a few more to the sensitive area where the boys bottom met his thighs, Severus felt the telltale heave against his knees that indicated the boy was truly crying now._

"_P-please Sir, n-no m-m-more…" McCuithbert stuttered, "I w-won't d-do it a-again."_

_Finishing at an even dozen Severus stopped for moment, resting his hand on the heaving back and giving McCuithbert a moment to try and catch his breath and calm a little. Unfortunately, the boy was so caught up in what was happening he was, if anything, crying harder._

_Turning his head Severus reached for the ruler that had been lying on his desk. This was a first spanking for the boy, from Severus at least, and the child couldn't have done any better ; he had manage, all in one day, to thoroughly break two of Severus' most stringent rules. Had it been one or the other Severus might have stopped with just using his hand, but not this time. Still, it wouldn't take too many with the ruler to make his point._

"_I am going to use the ruler now," Severus said, laying it on the boy's only slightly red bottom to warn him of the change._

_Not receiving a reply Severus raised the ruler slightly and brought it down with a sharp snap. The boy cried out and started to squirm again but Severus just wrapped his arm tighter around the boy's waist and brought the ruler down again, targeting those same sensitive areas where the boy would feel it the most each time he sat down over the next few hours. On the third stroke the boy collapsed in a heap, going completely limp over Severus' knee and just sobbing. Severus administered three more strokes, all much lighter than the previous three, using them more as a reminder than anything else. Normally for such an offense he would administer at least a dozen but the boy was too upset._

_After placing the ruler back on his desk, Severus once again put his hand in the middle of the boy's back, rubbing gently and letting the boy cry. It took a few minutes but the sobs started to die back and Severus helped the boy to stand, bringing him back around to stand in front of Severus and steadying the child with his hands on the boy's shoulders until he was sure the boy could stand on his own. Once the boy was standing, he gently helped him dress again, wincing inwardly at the hiss the boy emitted as his jeans scraped over his sore backside. He well remembered his own experiences and the aftermath of having been taken over someone's knee or laid over a desk._

_McCuithbert was trying vainly to wipe the tears away but wasn't having much luck. He was still small but had grown a bit in the last few months Severus noted. Already showing signs of filling out Severus wasn't concerned; all of the McCuithbert boys had been the same when they started Hogwarts but had grown rapidly. Not one of them was under six feet tall and if the long legs on the child in front of him was any indication, he was going to follow suit._

"_Eyes up," Severus said, helping a bit by placing his hand under the boy's chin and applying gentle but firm pressure. Studying the child's face he saw true remorse this time in the brown eyes. The tears had slowed but still rolled down the boy's cheeks. Severus took out his handkerchief and gently mopped the boy's face. _

"_Do not EVER lie to me again," Severus started, his voice firm, "is that absolutely clear?"_

"_Yes S-sir" McCuithbert answered immediately, " 'm sorry." On the last word McCuithbert started to cry again._

_Sighing, Severus reached out and wrapped his arms around him. The boy grabbed hold of Severus' waistcoat, clinging to him even as he buried his face in Severus' chest, his entire body shaking with the force of his crying._

"_Apology accepted child," Severus murmured, holding the boy and alternating between patting and rubbing the boy's back._

_He didn't often have to offer this type of comfort to his snakes. After being punished most were fine with a simple pat on the back or a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder but occasionally, especially with the younger children, a hug and time were needed. _

_It was a long while before Severus felt the boy relax, the tears subsiding and the only indication of the child's recent distress was the hitched breathing. Severus gently pushed the boy away slightly, keeping his hands on the boy's shoulders. The child looked up at him, pale and somber. Taking one hand off his shoulder, Severus once again mopped the boy's face with his handkerchief._

"_You are grounded to your dormitory for one week. Do you remember what that means?"_

_Nodding, McCuithbert answered. "Other than classes I have to stay in my room," he said miserably._

"_Not quite," Severus answered. "You are permitted to take your meals and go to your classes. If you need to go to the library you need to request permission and to check out and back in with a prefect."_

"_Yes Sir."_

"_Very well," Severus said, standing up and placing his hand on the back of the boy's neck and urging him towards the door; "directly to your dormitory."_

_Severus opened the door, handed the boy his cloak and after another quick hug he sent McCuithbert off and watched as the boy walked the short distance down the corridor to the Slytherin entryway. He saw McCuithbert sneak in a rub to his sore backside even as he entered the common room and the entryway closed. _

_HE saw the bag from Honeyduke's in his own cloak's pocket and tacit it out he placed a stasis charm on the contents to keep them fresh. For now he would keep the bag of sweets and would return them once McCuithbert was released from his grounding. He told himself it was only because the boy had spent money and in no way showed kindness….._

_End flashback_

He glanced at the timer and estimated about 15 more minutes remained. Looking back at the laboring students and going by the looks on some faces, he figured only about half were anywhere near confident of having passed, let alone excelled, his own Slytherins included. It was his habit to send the end of term reports to the students' homes himself, adding comments to the report on behavior and effort, but, even though the influence of Voldemort had faded over the years, some of the Slytherin students were still not treated well at home. The other teachers were careful in their comments not to talk about anything negative, with the understanding that Severus would handle any issues in house if he could help it. He couldn't lie about grades but he could add additional comments that emphasized effort and avoid any negative comments that might just make things worse.

He watched as the last grain of sand passed from the top to the bottom of his timer. "Quills down," he said firmly, passing a stern gaze over the students, some of whom groaned as they obediently laid their quills on the desktop. "Enjoy your break," he said, "class dismissed." He remained standing as his students filed out, some looking pleased, others like they were on their way to their own execution. Severus sighed; he had a feeling his red ink supply was going to be severely depleted tonight.

Katherine, having taken her exam at the same time, walked up with her paper, bag in hand. "Please collect the exams for me and lay them on my desk," Severus asked her, taking her pro-offered exam. "I need to see the Slytherin students off so take some time to say goodbye to your friends and see them off if you wish, and I will expect to see you in the Great Hall for supper. You need to be there by 6 as there will only be the staff, and the students remaining behind, in attendance; it is customary for us all to eat together. Are you ready to leave in the morning?"

Katherine nodded; "just about completely packed; just need to add a few things I was using today."

"I have all of the years' books at Spinners End if you want to leave yours here to lighten things up. Anything brewing related you may leave here as well; my personal lab is more than equipped for anything we might need over the break."

"I'll grab these exams and then head back to the Tower; see you later," she said, as she started walking towards the now empty desks.

Severus idly glanced down at her exam as he walked to his office; frowning slightly when he noticed the first answer was incorrect. He hoped she at least passed the exam as there was no way he could let a failure go without comment or sanction. His brow furrowed a little as he headed back to his desk. Her grades had been slipping the past couple of weeks, ever since he had told her of the impending hearing. While she had passed, barely, her other exams, He knew why she wasn't doing her best but was it better to confront her or let it go due to what she was facing?..he still hadn't decided, then snorted.._'I HAVE gotten soft' _he thought to himself. A few years prior he would have nailed a student's hide to the wall for allowing grades to slide, unless something like death, their own, was involved and even then he would have had to think about it.

Walking in and shutting the office door, he shrugged out of his teaching robes and sending a silent thank you to Carly, grabbed the glass and ice cold pitcher of water sitting o the tray near his desk even while he groaned silently at the waiting stack of exams he still had to grade. While he had been grading a little all week as the classes finished, the exams got more complex, with more essay writing vice just short answer questions, as the grade levels got higher; this made grading more time consuming. He made a mental note to make sure all end of term exams were taken in order of higher to lower grades. He glanced up as Katherine walked in and laid the exams on his already nearly overflowing desk.

"Thank you," he said, "now get out of here and go pester your friends and leave me to this torture of grading."

Katherine didn't argue but gave a smile and walked out the office door. Sitting down at his desk, he pulled out two inkwells of red ink, his best quill, grabbed the top exam and set to work.

Katherine bit her lip slightly as she made her way towards Gryffindor Tower. Rowan and Shell would be leaving for the train shortly and she had promised to accompany them in the carriage to the platform. Katherine was not feeling the most confident as to the results of her exam. True, Severus was one to make anything challenging but she also knew he didn't go beyond what was being taught or what should have been studied. She recognized everything on the exam; she just hadn't been able to answer all of the questions, at least not to any great effect. Some of the answers she had written just in desperation not to leave the page blank but she knew it wouldn't get by Severus. No, if she had somehow, by some major miracle, managed to pass that exam it would be only a millimeter above failing. Well aware that her grades hadn't been up to Snape's par of late, a failure on this exam would probably push what little patience he was hanging on to. She could see her relaxing holidays sliding away even as she walked, but, ah well, not too much to do about it now; she'd face the lion, 'snake?' she mused to herself, when it came time.


	35. Chapter 35: Home for the Holidays

_Author's Note: I do so apologize to all of the readers who have been waiting for the next chapter. Personal, family and job issues took priority, plus I had a major case of writer's block as Severus decided to pull a temper tantrum and quit "talking" to me __ . He begrudgingly gave me some of his precious time and hopefully I will be back on track. My best wishes to all for a great and safe holiday season._

Chapter 35: Home for the Holidays

_Disclaimer: While I am borrowing many of the characters created by J.K. Rowling, all rights to those characters remain solely with her. I am neither receiving nor soliciting any monetary recompense for this story._

Severus rubbed his aching forehead as he capped the bottle that contained what was left of his red ink; he'd have to resupply before term started again after the holidays. He also made a mental note to have a serious chat with his snakes, all of them, after term opened again. They all knew full well his expectations on grades, nearly half had obviously not taken him seriously. While the failures had been "high" failures, they were still failures and not something Severus was willing to accept, particularly in his class. Katherine had managed a very marginal passing grade and that was another thing he intended to take care of, though that would be done much sooner than the start of term. 'Still,' he thought, 'I'll give her some time until the day after Christmas but she had better enjoy it while she can'

Technically she had been grounded from Hogsmeade until the end of term, which didn't actually start for another few hours, however, he also knew from experience the need to get away from the castle, if just for a few hours, after the crush of exams were completed. As such, and after informing Harry of his plans, he had given Katherine the choice to accompany her friends down to the train platform with strict instructions that if she were to go, she was to be back within 3 hours. Taking the olive branch of sorts Katherine had jumped at the idea as he knew she would. Glancing up he noted the train was due to pull out in an hour which meant Katherine should be back in about 90 minutes or so and with any luck they would be free of the castle very soon thereafter.

Originally he had intended to spend the entire holiday at Spinners End but then changed his mind, sending Carly to Prince Manor a few days ahead to ready things there. The little elf all but exploded in merriment; Prince Manor being her favorite location and promising profusely that all would be ready when "Master Snapes Sir and Miss Katherine arrived." Rolling his eyes Severus had waved her off grimacing slightly at the idea of what Carly would do to "decorate" the manor for Christmas. He had a feeling he was going to regret his decision to give the little elf free reign in the large manor rather than restricting her efforts to the smaller townhouse at Spinners End. They would spend the weekend at Spinners End and then head to the manor.

Severus made one last check of his gradebook to make sure everything had been filled in correctly and started on the onerous task of filling out the student reports; fortunately he only had these last thirty to go. He had created a spell where he could simply tap the report and the student's name in the gradebook and the grade and comments would automatically transfer to the report so the transfer of grades only took a few minutes. After a quick check to make sure everything had transferred properly, he placed the reports in the already addressed envelopes and added them to the waiting stack. Tapping the stack with his wand they were instantly transported to Minerva who would see that they were sent out. Glancing at the clock again he knew Katherine wouldn't be long. They were both already packed, their weekend bags sent to Spinners End that morning after breakfast and their larger bags sent ahead to the manor. He poured himself some coffee, picked up his potions journal and sat by the fire to await his apprentice.

_Aurors Office: Ministry of Magic_

Harry took a contemplative sip of his tea; the day was almost over. He'd submitted his quarterly reports that morning after finally closing two minor cases that had dragged on. He had made arrangement to work from home for the holiday period and he was hoping that the criminal wizard set would take a breather for the ten day stretch. He wouldn't have to see the office again until after the New Year unless something urgent came up. He and Ginny had plans to spend a few days at home before heading over the Weasley's for the annual Christmas gathering. Snapping his fingers he remembered what he had forgotten to do. Molly and Arthur knew of the issues Severus and Katherine were having and had wanted to invite Severus and Katherine to the Christmas gathering and Harry had said he would send the invite. Having made arrangements with Severus to allow Katherine off radar for a few hours, he knew they were still at the castle. Dashing off a quick note he activated the floo, calling out Severus' office, and tossed in the missive, watching as it whirled away. Everything was quiet and Harry, having already released his aurors for the weekend, made the decision to go home. If he was needed they knew how to get a hold of him and the monitoring would automatically notify him when Katherine returned to the castle or alarm if she didn't return on time.

_Hogwarts_

Severus was startled when his blazing fire turned green for a moment and spit out a letter. Standing up he bent down to pick up the letter, instantly recognizing Harry's handwriting. Hoping it wasn't more bad news he opened it and read

"Severus, hope you and Katherine are well. Molly has extended an invitation for you and Katherine to join us at the Weasley's on Christmas Day. I am headed home so please reply there. If you decide not to attend my best wishes to you and Katherine for a Happy Christmas.

Harry"

Severus contemplated for a moment. A day at the Weasley's on their annual Christmas gathering, which included the entire Weasley clan including their assorted kids and grandkids and any other friends? It would be a madhouse. Still, Severus couldn't see a reason not to accept; it wouldn't be the first gathering there he had attended, and Katherine might like the change from the school atmosphere to a more family oriented gathering; he'd ask her before making his reply.

Just as he turned to refill his coffee, Katherine walked in. She looked better he thought. The walk and time away had done some good; had taken the look of ever present doom out of her eyes and she looked almost happy.

"Train pulled out?" he asked her.

"Yeah," Katherine answered. "I was overwhelmed with wishes of good luck and commiserations over my having to spend Christmas with the 'bat'", she said impishly. "We really do have to work on your reputation."

Severus snorted. "My reputation is right where it needs to be to keep dimwitted students from blowing up themselves, my lab or the school. Are you ready to head out?"

"I was ready a week ago," Katherine said, eager to get away from the castle for a while.

Taking his cloak from the rack, Severus dropped it over his shoulders, and much to Katherine's amusement, actually did up the ornate silver clasp. They would be flooing in directly to Spinners End so wouldn't be outside at all, but, she knew Severus' habits very well by now and knew he wouldn't be caught dead simply carrying his cloak. It was either off or on, not anything in-between.

_Spinner's End_

Severus and Katherine arrived at Spinners End a few minutes later to be greeted by Carly who took their cloaks and announced their tea was ready in the sitting room. Walking into the room, Katherine made her way to the short table where the tray was set and poured herself and Severus a cup of the hot tea before sitting on the couch across from the fire and Severus took up his favorite chair. He sipped his tea, studying Katherine.

"What?" she finally asked, unnerved by his long stare and silence.

"We have been invited over to the Weasley's on Christmas Day. Their family is rather, voluminous, and can be a bit overwhelming but they are good people, kind and giving. I can certainly understand if you would prefer a quiet holiday but thought you might enjoy some company other than just my own."

Katherine shrugged "sure, why not unless you would rather not go."

"I will let Auror Potter know then," Severus said, secretly pleased she had said yes. While a day with the Weasley clan couldn't come close to being described as relaxing, he also knew the ability of the Weasley's to make one forget about what was worrying a person, if only for a short period of time. He knew that Molly, in her usual motherly fashion, would take to Katherine almost immediately.

"I also wished to speak to you about your grades," he said, watching as Katherine stiffened slightly. "You had passed your other courses, though you did not do as well as I would have liked, and just barely managed a passing score for potions. Still, I take into consideration what has been going on with the trial but will still require you to do some catch-up work once Christmas has passed. Your OWLS are at the end of the next term and if you go in to the beginning of the term with only a fleeting understanding of the previous term's material, you are not going to get through the OWLS or the apprentice program progress exam."

Katherine sighed but didn't say anything. She knew she hadn't done as well as she should have and thought to herself she was lucky he wasn't putting her on yet another endless restriction and burying her in work; or worse.

She looked up at him.

"I'm sorry" she said, somewhat lamely. "I tried to catch up closer to the end of term but didn't manage it."

"No matter," he said, "you WILL be caught up by the time term starts again."

"Yes Sir" she said immediately, not sure a response was required but answered just in case.

"Since I usually take this time to do some brewing we can catch up with that portion easily enough. I will have other smaller assignments for you to complete that, while admittedly won't go into extreme detail of the information, will at least give you a decent summary; enough to be caught up for the next term without being drowned in work."

"You're all heart" Katherine said, in such a dry tone that Severus' lips quivered for a moment in what was almost a smile; "manners brat" he said automatically.

"So," Katherine went on, what's on the agenda this weekend…"

_Prince Manor_

As per Severus' plans they apparated in to a spot just outside a gate that split the low stone wall surrounding the manor.

Taking out his wand, he gestured to Katherine to come closer to the gate.

Placing his hand in the depression in the wall, he intoned some words in Latin and the stone glowed blue for a moment. "Place your hand in the depression and say the password 'nightshade'. The stone will grow warm for a moment, turn gold then green. Once it has turned green remove your hand."

Stepping a little closer, Katherine removed her glove placed her hand in the shallow depression and said the password. The stone grew warm, a comfort to the winter chill, and then shone gold. A few heartbeats later, the stone went to green and once again turned cold. Removing her hand she stepped back and watched as Severus once again placed his hand in the depression and intoned a different phrase. The stone turned blue again before fading back to its original gray and black color.

"The wards to the grounds will now recognize your magical signature. Anytime you arrive or leave, you will need to place your hand in the depression, there is an identical one on the other side, and say the password. Anyone attempting to pass through the wards from the outside without authorization will be instantly hit with a full body bind. Attempt to pass through the wards from the inside, or in your case from the outside, without completing the process will initiate a strong stinging hex as a reminder," here he smirked. "You won't forget more than once."

Rolling her eyes, and earning a mild glare from Severus, she deliberately placed her hand back in the depression. "Nightshade" she said and watched as the air over the gate took on a silver shimmer. Opening the gate and waving Katherine through, Severus shut it and Katherine watched as the shimmer disappeared.

Taking little notice Severus led her up the stone walk. It had snowed the night before so the trees and bushes were dotted with snow and the lawn covered in an undisturbed sheet of white making the entire scene look like something on the front of a Christmas card. Her throat tightened a bit as she took in the overall view, remembering the many Christmases at home with her parents and siblings.

Opening the front door Severus allowed Katherine to precede him and then stepped in behind her, closing the door against the winter chill. The front entrance was warm and inviting, the floors a light blue with streaks of green and silver running through the marble. A long carpet runner in a deep blue ran the length of the hallway.

Katherine jumped in surprise when Carly popped in in front of them with a huge smile on her face. "Welcome home Master Snape Sir and Miss Katherine," she said, even as she stepped forward to take their cloaks, vanishing them instantly. "All is ready for you and tea can be ready at any time. Master Snape Sir Master Potter sent a message and Carly put it in your study and has let Hedwig into the solarium until you have a reply."

"Thank you Carly," Severus said, bemused at the run on commentary. "I'll see to the message and show Katherine around. Please have tea served in the sitting room in 15 minutes."

"Oh of course Master Snape Sir," Carly brightened even more, popping back out.

Severus almost chuckled at the look on Katherine's face. "She is a bit more animated when we are at home; I think she prefers it here to the rushing that happens at Hogwarts.

The stairway leads to the upstairs bedrooms to the left and to a guest wing to the right. Down here," he gestured, "to your right is the library and my study, to the left is the sitting room, formal dining room and kitchen in order front to back." Walking down the large open hallway, he turned left into another entrance. "My private lab and stores are in this wing and across the hall is the entrance to the solarium and back gardens."

Heading across, with Katherine following, he opened the large double doors and she was instantly draped in warmth as she stepped into the glass solarium. She was surrounded by plants of all shapes and sizes, some she recognized specifically as those used in potions that could only be found in warm climates, and others were decorative in nature. A brook ran throughout the room, with bridges strategically placed here and there for someone to gain access to the plants or sitting areas that dotted the room. There were small birds that flitted about the room and other than the burbling of the brook, it and the birds were the only noise inside the room. She spotted the snowy owl she recognized as belonging to Auror Potter, sitting on a branch and watching, Katherine would have to say in amusement, at the activity of the smaller birds as they flitted about.

Severus came up behind her. "I had this room added on five years ago. It is a relaxing place and allows me to grow those potions herbs and plants I can't grow at Hogwarts due to the temperature differences required. These doors," he gestured to yet another set of glass doors that led to the outside, "lead to the outside gardens. This hallway," he gestured again, "leads to the two greenhouses that I use to grow everything else."

Taking her back inside the manor he gestured to the stairs. "The upstairs splits as you can see. The entrance from the right of the stairs is a guest wing. The general living quarters for the manor are to the left. Your room will be the second on the left from entrance to the general quarters; the bathroom is straight across the hall. My room is the first on the right. Straight back is a sitting area and another smaller library that are centered to accommodate either the guest wing or general quarters."

Katherine looked at Severus. "I hadn't thought of you as the mansion type," she said with a grin. Spinners seems to better suit your personality.

Severus grimaced slightly. "Normally you would be right and I would generally use Spinners for short term stays of only a day or two. This is the Prince estate, a bequeath from my mother, in which I spend the major holiday periods and summer of course. The townhouse also does not have the room for the all the plants I prefer to grow myself. While the Hogwarts gardens are adequate, there are certain plants I need for potions not grown at Hogwarts due to space and the safety, or maybe a better word would be curiosity, of the students."

Turning, Severus went down the hallway, stopping at the sitting room where Carly had laid out the tea tray covered in scones and fruits with a pot of tea and cups.

"Help yourself," Severus said, gesturing towards the tray. "I am going to see what Auror Potter wants and will join you shortly."

Severus walked down the hall to his study, opening the double doors. Walking to his desk he found the letter from Harry and opening it read:

'I let Molly know you are going to come by…she was ecstatic as always and also curious so prepare for the third degree when you get here.

I received a message from the Americans who have confirmed the trial date for 8 January; they have set-up a safehouse for our use but still ask that we arrive on the 6th for pre-trial processing.

Agent Benson has assured me that Katherine will not be taken into custody but will remain under your guardianship for the duration of the trial. What happens after that we don't know as yet but of course we are going to do everything possible here to make sure Katherine comes back here when we depart.

My best to you and Katherine and we will see you in a couple of days.

Harry'

Severus tapped the letter thoughtfully against his hand for a moment. Deciding that no reply was necessary he locked the letter in his desk and then strode to the solarium to let Hedwig out.

"Time to go home" he said gently, allowing the owl to step up on his arm; sitting calmly as he went to open the door. "Safe flight" he said rolling his eyes at Hewdwig's gentle and affectionate nip to his ear just as she took flight. For some reason Hedwig had decided she liked him despite the problems the two had had with each other during Harry's school years. At that time she was more apt to take a chunk out of his ear than anything else.

Walking back to the parlor he stopped just outside the door and observed Katherine for a moment as she walked quietly about the room, touching some Christmas bauble here and there or inhaling the fragrance of the pine boughs Carly had used to decorate the mantel. The look on her face was both wistful, and sad. Given her story he could imagine she couldn't help but think of her lost family, and Severus vowed to himself then and there that he would do everything he could to help her through the holiday and the time afterwards as the trial drew closer.


End file.
